Expertise in Pyrotechnics
by bravebuttercups
Summary: Draco Malfoy - the bad boy of Slytherin. When he becomes friends with Hermione Granger, war heroine and member of the Golden Trio, you'd think everything would explode the way it did when Neville and Seamus were paired in Potions. Just the opposite.
1. Chapter One

September 16th, 2011

A/N: So I told you guys that when I get writer's block for some stories I come up with an entirely new one, right? Well, it happened again. Gravity is REALLY hard for me to write, it might just end there, I'm not entirely sure…I mean, I know what happens in the beginning, and I know what happens towards the end, but I always get stumped when it comes to the middle. To placate my lovely and dedicated readers, I'm going to post this up! Even this might turn into a one-shot. I'm afraid I'm not very good with sticking to one idea at a time. Sorry about that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter One

Everyone was socializing and having a grand time, it seemed, except for a certain bushy-haired, brilliant Muggleborn, who was sitting on the futon in Ginny Weasley's bedroom at the Burrow.

Hermione should have been feeling cheerful. It was Harry's birthday – he had lived long enough to turn twenty, thank Merlin – and she was surrounded by people she loved. But Hermione couldn't bring herself to forget the one person she had hated since her first day at Hogwarts. Except now, she didn't hate him. In fact, she sympathized with him, although no one could be surprised at that fact.

Of course, Hermione hadn't exactly told Harry or Ron that she had been doing a good deal of thinking about Draco Malfoy recently, lest they spontaneously combusted or something else just as ridiculous. She loved both of the boys to pieces, but they had a tendency to overreact about the simplest of things.

Hermione's eyes drifted to Pig, who was fluttering around the room, hooting happily. He flew over to Hermione and looked at her hopefully, probably eager to get some exercise and see more of the world.

Well, the little owl got his wish granted. Hermione brought out a piece of parchment and grabbed one of the Muggle pens she was so fond of using, and that Mr. Weasley was so curious about.

_Dear Draco,_

_I know you might not appreciate this, nor pay this letter any mind, but I just wanted to tell you that you did the right thing. I can understand not wanting to participate in the war, I suppose, and the fact that you and your family did not fight for Voldemort's side is most definitely respectable. You might not care what a lowly Mudblood or Harry Potter's best mate thinks, but I just wanted you to know that not everyone close to the Weasley clan despises you. _

_Hoping you are well,_

_Hermione Granger_

Before she could regret her decision, Hermione rolled the piece of parchment up and attached it to Pigwidgeon's leg, which he so obediently stuck out. After slipping Ron's pet a treat, Hermione left the room to rejoin the celebration.

She plastered a smile on her face as Ron wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He had never been the most adept at reading emotions, something Hermione often cursed or blessed the gods for.

"I think everyone's getting ready to leave soon. Bill and Fleur looked downright terrified at the thought of keeping Vicky here too long," Ron told his girlfriend, laughing quietly.

Hermione's smile became genuine. "I'm going to say goodbye to them before they leave. Victoire is just so cute!" she exclaimed. Ron rolled her eyes, but his expression was fond. However much he complained about Hermione's baby talk, he loved the way she was indefinitely kind and gentle to every single living being alive.

Once Hermione had said goodnight to all of the members of the Weasley family, adding a kiss when it came to Ron and a hug for Harry, she slipped into the room she shared with Ginny.

She fell asleep the second her head touched the pillow, and all thoughts of pale blonde Slytherin and the letter she had sent to him were gone for the time being.

When Hermione woke, it was more out of habit than anything else. It was a Sunday and she didn't have to be at work, so she dressed herself in a pair of faded Muggle jeans, a t-shirt and trainers before she went for a walk around London, magical or no.

"You're up early, dear," Molly Weasley's maternal voice said as Hermione entered the kitchen.

"I think I'm going to go look around Diagon Alley, maybe get something to eat at a café in London," Hermione replied with a smile. She loved being at the Burrow. Her parents still weren't sure if they could trust her, although they had been nothing but nice since she had restored their memories, but with Mrs. Weasley and everyone else, Hermione was accepted completely.

"Have fun, dear. Is anyone going with you?"

Hermione snorted. "At this hour? I highly doubt that Harry, Ron, or Ginny would roll out of bed at this 'unholy time' just to accompany me."

Mrs. Weasley chuckled softly. "You're probably right. Enjoy yourself!"

"I will, thanks!"

Using an undetectable extension charm on one of her pockets, Hermione transferred many of the things from her small beaded bag into it before she left the comfort of what she now called 'home.'

She apparated to an alley near The Leaky Cauldron, for she always stopped there to give Tom, the bartender and owner, some more business and a bit of friendly updates on how Harry, Hagrid, and many others were doing.

Hermione waved to Tom as she entered the shabby yet inviting pub. He beamed at her as she sat down on a stool at the bar and immediately placed a mug of butterbeer in front of one of his most prized customers.

The expected question came, soon after Hermione had paid for and taken a sip of her drink.

"How's the family doing, Hermione?"

"Quite well. Harry turned twenty only yesterday," Hermione said, speaking as if Harry were her son and not someone who was as close to a brother as she would ever get.

"Bless my soul! And to think, I met the boy when he was only eleven years old. He's come so far and grown up much too fast."

Hermione realized that Tom's words had more meaning than he might have been aware of at the time. She had always thought it was unfair that Harry had never had a good, normal childhood. Well, maybe not normal, but at least enjoyable. He should have been able to have fun while he still could.

Not that Harry was a stick-in-the-mud. No, he, Ron and Ginny had Hermione for that. But sometimes, when he smiled, it didn't quite reach his eyes, and he wasn't as quick to laugh as he had been before. Hermione hoped that Ginny would get him out of that state, but even she wasn't getting her hopes up.

"I'd better go. It was nice talking to you!" Hermione gave Tom a little wave and made to enter Diagon Alley.

_I think I'll stop at Flourish and Blotts, just to see if they ordered a shipment of that book I wanted…_

Humming a song that was very familiar yet whose name escaped her, Hermione entered one of her regular haunts. The cashier looked up and finished ringing a teenager, most likely a Hogwarts student, up before he smiled at Hermione.

"We were wondering when you'd be back. How long are you going to be here this time? An hour? Two? Boss is considering just hiring you so you can read whatever you like, but he knows you wouldn't leave the Ministry and house-elves for anything."

"Hello to you too, Andy," Hermione said with a grin.

The twenty one year old Irish man waved his hand dismissively. "Please, we see you too much to bother with pleasantries." He turned Hermione so she was facing an aisle dedicated to Muggle and wizard books alike. "I think you might find something to pique your interest down that way."

Hermione grinned at Andrew and disappeared between the bookshelves. She plucked a mystery novel from a shelf far too high above her head after a good deal of stretching and read the back while she occasionally scanned the titles of its companions.

By the time she got to the end of the aisle, Hermione had six or seven books in her arms. Andy and his boss absolutely loved Hermione, and no matter how much she protested, let her borrow books whenever she wanted.

Since she had a tower of romance, adventure and murder mystery novels to support, Hermione couldn't see where she was going, and subsequently bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she gasped, bending down to pick up the scattered novels. She only looked up when the person she rudely ran into handed her one she had missed. Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "_Malfoy?_" she exclaimed.

At the same time, Draco hissed, "Granger?"

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, completely baffled.

"I do know how to read, you know," Draco replied, as snarky and sarcastic as ever.

Hermione sighed and checked the books for any sign of harm. "Well, I'd say it was a pleasure to see you, but if you're going to act like that…"

"What do you expect from me when you ask a question like that?"

She opened her mouth to protest and closed it after a moment's though. "I'm sorry, it was rather rude, wasn't it?"

Draco honestly hadn't expected Granger to apologize. She was far, far too nice, and would probably get taken advantage of in the future. Hell, she was probably taken advantage of by Weasel and Pothead. The Mud...Muggleborn had always been doing her friends' homework at Hogwarts, after all.

"Never mind, it's not a problem," Draco said, looking quite frustrated. Hermione's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, but she remembered that she was still sitting on her bum and got to her feet. She had to set the books down and bend over to retrieve them again, causing Draco to have some unnecessary thoughts.

"I'd better go tell Andy which ones I'm borrowing," Hermione began awkwardly. She hadn't spoken a word to Draco since the letter, and that didn't even count. She had no clue as to how much he had changed, for the better, at that.

As Hermione turned to leave, though, Draco proved himself a different person by gently touching her arm, when only three years prior he would have sent anyone who suggested he would be so close to Granger voluntarily to a mental institution.

"Thanks," he said quietly. "For…saying what you did."

It took Hermione a moment to understand what Draco was talking about. "Oh, that. I wasn't sure how you'd be feeling about the war, and I thought that maybe, if someone told you that you really aren't a bad person, then maybe, I don't know, you'd be a little more…nice…I guess," Hermione finished lamely. "Not that I'm saying you aren't nice!" she added hastily. "For all I know, you could be the sweetest human being in the world nowadays, but, um, yeah."

By the time she was done making a fool of herself, Hermione had turned a shade of red that would have made Godric Gryffindor proud. Draco didn't want to seem heartless, but he found the entire exchange amusing. Him, having a civil conversation with Hermione Granger. Who would have thought?

"I did appreciate it, Granger. And I'm not going to say thank you again," Draco told her, a bit teasingly.

Hermione cracked a small smile. "You do seem like a better person, Draco. And I'd prefer it if you called me Hermione, since we're apparently past that silly loathing each other phase."

"Oh, I never hated you. Strongly disliked you, perhaps, for besting me in many things and being friends with Wonder Boy and Weasel, but it was never hate." Draco wondered why he was telling her that much. He had never told anything that before.

"It'd also be nice if you could call my boyfriend by his proper name."

"You're dating Wonder Boy?" Draco asked, feigning ignorance. "How does the Weaselette feel about that?"

Hermione laughed and swatted at his arm playfully. "You know who I was talking about; you're just saying all that to annoy me."

"And it didn't work," Draco replied, sighing dejectedly. Wait, was he flirting with Granger? _Granger?_ What in the name of Merlin was going on?

Meanwhile, Hermione was thinking along the same lines. _Remember Ron, remember Ron! Draco might not be a downright git anymore, but he is a bit frustrating, no matter how attractive he is…God, Hermione, get a hold of yourself! You are in a committed relationship! Don't have such traitorous thoughts!_

"I suppose I'll see you around…?" Hermione's voice rose at the last word, turning it into a question. She had let Andy know about her choices and was standing outside of the bookstore with Draco.

"I'd like that, Gra-Hermione. Honestly."

Hermione's smile was dazzlingly. Draco remembered the time when she resembled a beaver; now she looked rather pretty. Bugger that, Hermione was gorgeous, even in a t-shirt, and she probably didn't even know it, if she was dating a loser like Ron Weasley.

"You can owl me whenever you want to talk. About anything. Harry's always telling me I'm a good listener, even if I can't offer the best advice," Hermione said, pulling a messenger bag out of her pocket to put her books in. Draco didn't even ask how she had done it; he knew that the former Gryffindor was talented, extremely so.

"I might just take you up on that." Draco's smirk didn't compare to Hermione's warm smile, but it was hardly the contemptuous one he often wore while he was at school.

"Well…bye Draco." The words sounded reluctant, or maybe that was Draco's wishful thinking. He really had to stop putting in so many extra hours at St. Mungo's. He hadn't been around an attractive woman for far too long.

Hermione vanished in the sea of witches and wizards preparing their children for Hogwarts. She glanced back at Flourish and Blotts to see if Draco was still there, yet he wasn't, and she didn't know how she felt about that.

By the time she was back at the Burrow, Ginny and Harry were having a late breakfast. Being the curious little devils they were, they immediately asked where she had been.

"I went to Diagon Alley and got some books," Hermione said, looking puzzled as she held up her bag for them to see. "What else would I be doing on a Sunday? You know I do this every week or so."

"Then why is it I sense there's something you aren't telling us?"

Trust Ginevra Weasley to be so bloody observant.

"I ran into Malfoy at the shop," Hermione admitted.

"You mean the Amazing Bouncing Ferret?"

Hermione nodded. "The one and only, Gin." Harry was taking the news quietly, and Hermione didn't see his bright green eyes flare with any bad emotion.

"Was he awful to you?" Harry asked, looking worried. Hermione patted his hand, knowing how protective he was of her.

"No, he was actually rather nice. We talked for a little bit and neither one of us ever drew our wands," Hermione said, directing the words towards Harry more so than Ginny. "You have to remember that he chose _not_ to fight on Voldemort's side when it mattered most."

"That's true…"

Pleased with the fact that Harry and Ginny seemed to accept the fact that she had an improving relationship with Draco Malfoy, Hermione curled up on the window seat in the living room with one of her books, but for once, she didn't feel like reading.

Ron was still fast asleep, and Hermione tried her best not to compare him to Draco, who could definitely be an early riser, much like herself. And all Ron could really talk about with interest was Quidditch or Auror training. He could only go on for so long before Hermione got completely lost.

Oh, but they both tried. They just didn't have too much in common. Hermione loved Ron with all her heart, though, and knew he felt the same about her, so they made it work. They met each other half-way, and they rarely fought anymore.

Hermione worried her bottom lip and turned her attention back to her book, _The Amber Spyglass_, but was quickly interrupted.

"G'morning 'Mione," Ron said, yawning. He sat down on the floor, his head resting against Hermione's waist. "How long've you been up?"

"Since six or seven," she replied, running her fingers through Ron's hair.

"Bloody hell. Why?"

"Because not all of us sleep until noon, love," was Hermione's answer. Ron was very good about waking up when it came to training, but on weekends he was awfully lazy.

"Well it is a Sunday," Ron pointed out mildly.

"Oh, Ron, you could be a lawyer with arguments like that."

"What's a lawyer?" Ron asked, saying the word slowly to make sure he got it right. Hermione and her Muggle ways would never stop confusing him. Once she had actually convinced him to cook breakfast without using magic, and needless to say, it hadn't turned out well.

"Um, it's someone who defends or supports a person on trial. You remember when Harry almost lost his wand, back in fifth year, and had to go to the Ministry?" Ron nodded, so Hermione continued. "Dumbledore was kind of acting like his lawyer then. He got him out of a bind using evidence."

"I…see…" Ron said, his tone clearing implying that he did not understand. Hermione sighed, ever so slightly. At least with Harry she didn't have to worry about explaining things that seemed so simple to her.

"Why don't you go get something to eat?" Hermione suggested, wanting to be left alone with her thoughts and book. She cherished every moment she could spend safe with the people she cared about, but right then she needed to figure some things out.

Ron jumped to his feet, kissed Hermione's forehead and headed for the kitchen, whistling.

Hermione ducked her head and tried to go back to reading, but she found that she was reading the same paragraph over and over again.

A tapping on the window distracted her. A beautiful tawny owl flew inside the moment Hermione had made a big enough opening. It landed on the seat next to her, cocked its head to the side and held out its leg.

While she untied the string, Hermione summoned a treat and held it out for the owl. It pecked at it before snatching it up in its beak, but it didn't leave, the way Hermione had expected it to.

_Hermione,_

_How would you feel about going to lunch on Monday? Send a reply back with the owl._

_-DM_

Bewildered, Hermione remembered that she had told Draco he could talk to her whenever he felt the need, and she had to wonder if everything was alright in his life, since he was requesting her company and not Pansy Parkinson's. Even so, Hermione said yes, and sent the owl on its way.

With the war over, Hermione had thought things would go back to normal. Obviously, that was not to be the case.

* * *

><p>AN: Again, I'm sorry if I don't keep up with my other stories, but I do think Hermione would be kind enough to try and reassure Draco about everything. She's just that kind of person. She hated him because he was prejudiced and cruel to her friends, but what if he's not anymore? Anyway, J.K. Rowling stated that Draco was mean to Hermione only because he had romantic feelings for her, and that said feelings would linger, much like Severus Snape's. Please review, because I'd like to know how I could make the characters seem more realistic, or at least act their age a little better. The closest I am to being twenty is having a twenty two year old brother, which is technically not the same.


	2. Chapter Two

September 18th, 2011

A/N: You guys should feel special. I'm totally procrastinating with homework and such for you. To compensate, you ought to take the time to review more *hint hint*. I like to hear from you guys what you'd like to happen, as long as it isn't totally cliché. I'm big on the whole fluff thing, so any problems you guys want to see come true, share! Any plot twists? Throw 'em at me. I know some people don't write, they only read, so if you have a BRILLIANT idea and you decide to tell me about it, I'm going to ask your approval to put it to use. Also, if you guys want my other stories to be updated quickly, I'd appreciate some fresh new ideas to get the ball rolling. This girl, when she gets writer's block, she gets it bad. And I know, like I said, I love fluff, but I don't want to have Hermione and Draco fall in love at first sight. I mean, really! And in this chapter I wanted to show that they do have lives outside of each other. For God's sake, she's still dating Ron! Anyways, if you want to make my day…Read and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Two

_Damn, what possessed me to actually take Granger up on her offer? Am I going insane? At least she said yes…I don't even want to think about this_, Draco decided as he tightened his tie around his neck. Shaking his head in disgust at himself, he grabbed his wand and Apparated to St. Mungo's, determined not to let thoughts of Hermione Granger distract him.

"Good morning Healer Malfoy!" the most recent receptionist chirped, as perky as ever. Draco couldn't find it in himself to be annoyed at her. Her energy was contagious.

"Morning Cassie," Draco replied, taking in the lack of clutter on the girl's desk. "Slow night?" Cassie was a tad anal retentive, so if she didn't have any patients to deal with, she cleaned. Draco wasn't sure if she had an OCD or something, but he did appreciate having his office tidied up when he was too lazy to do so himself.

"Yeah, but I suppose that's a good thing," Cassie said thoughtfully. "Although there was one boy who came in with seven ears and five eyes. Poor thing, didn't even look like he was Hogwarts age."

Draco chuckled and crossed the distance to his office in only a few strides. "Let me know if anything interesting comes up," he told Cassie over his shoulder, pausing at his door before disappearing inside. He usually handed most of the emergencies, and he was never really bored with his job. You couldn't be, if you lived in a world full of magic.

_He's in a happy state today…I wonder why_, Cassie mused. Her superior was always quite nice and amiable, but on that particular Monday, something was strange about Draco Malfoy's enthusiasm.

Glancing around the waiting room, Cassie got up from behind her desk and poked her head inside Draco's office.

"I forgot to tell you earlier. Some of us are going out to lunch around noon. Would you like to come?" Cassie asked. Normally Draco would have, but he had a previous engagement that he was looking forward to. Not that he'd admit that to Cassie. She meant well, so no one wanted to hurt her feelings, and they didn't tell her that they didn't appreciate the way she meddled in their affairs.

Knowing that he would have to tread very carefully, Draco said, very slowly, "I can't, Cassie." Better to be as vague yet honest as possible if he wanted to drop the subject without an interrogation. Cassie was far too curious for her own good. "I have a…meeting, of sorts."

Cassie's eyes lit up. She knew that Healer Malfoy hadn't been in a relationship since he severed all ties with that pig Pansy Parkinson, and she wanted to see him with the right person.

"Where does she work?"

"The Ministry," Draco replied without any hesitation. Then he frowned at Cassie. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" But he wasn't mad. In fact, he found it amusing that Cassie was so interested in such a trivial matter.

"So you're not too daft, after all!" Cassie teased, knowing the healer wouldn't pay much mind to her words. Perhaps it wasn't her place, but Draco seemed like a good person and she wanted him to be happy.

"Besides, she has a boyfriend. Don't get your hopes up. This bachelor is going to stay that way for a while." Draco smiled when Cassie pretended to pout, but was caught unawares when she didn't budge from her spot in the doorway.

"Is it just me or does someone seem a little upset about that?" The teasing note was gone and it was no longer playful banter. Cassie was genuinely worried about him.

For whatever odd reason, Draco found the situation rather funny. Cassie was younger than him by a year, and she was acting like a doting mother or a concerned sister. She was reading too much into something that didn't even exist. Unable to keep the smirk off of his face, Draco made sure to set Cassie straight.

"Honestly, Cassie, I'm only having lunch with someone I know from school. And to top it all off, we never really got along as children," Draco said, running a hand through his hair for a reason unbeknownst to him.

"I see."

"What's with that smug tone, young lady?" Draco asked, attempting to sound stern and failing.

"Oh, nothing," Cassie replied breezily, waving her hand as if dismissing the question. "I think I hear someone. I'd better go check." Then she skipped out of his office, causing Draco to shake his head at her exhausting yet endearing ways.

* * *

><p>Hermione sighed. She was really starting to hate her job. Sure, she was getting the chance to make things better for the creatures wizards considered beneath them, but she got stuck with all of the work. That meant she could make sure the papers got filled out correctly, as she was a chief believer in the saying, "If you want something done right, do it yourself." At least, that was what her boss said whenever she dared complain.<p>

And her _boss_. If she had called Malfoy an evil, foul, loathsome cockroach, that man was a Dementor. He was terribly arrogant, thinking he could have his way with anyone, and if one turned him down on any offer, he got highly offended. Hermione thought Richard Gruesen was far too young to be in charge of anything, really, because he let his own silly problems affect the professional demeanor any person of high rank ought to possess.

One time, 'Mr. Gruesen', as he liked to be called, cornered Hermione on her way to the loo, and she had barely escaped. The only reason she got to keep her job was because she had an actual excuse, taking the form of Ron Weasley, war veteran and best friend of the infamous Harry Potter.

Remembering that awful encounter, Hermione bit her lip and found herself wanting time to go by faster. She was actually looking forward to lunch with Draco, but at the same time she felt terribly guilty, since she hadn't told anyone about her plans. Even Ginny remained ignorant of the situation, and Hermione told her almost everything.

_11:50…11:52…_ Hermione couldn't leave until it was twelve o' clock, and the wait seemed excruciatingly long, so much so that she practically bolted out of her office the moment she could.

Hermione took care to drape her work robes over her chair before she left. She didn't know why, exactly, but she and Draco had somehow decided that they were going to have lunch in a Muggle café. Maybe Malfoy was just determined to show her how much he had changed, even though Hermione didn't need that to be proven. She could see it, even if Ron couldn't.

"Sorry I'm late," Draco said, pulling Hermione out of her reverie as he sat down across from her. "My co-workers decided to put me through hell by trying to figure out who I was eating with today."

Hermione smiled and nodded in understanding. "My secretary kept bugging me, too. What do you do, by the way? I know anyone can find out about my job from magazines and newspapers, but I know next to nothing about you." She refused to let the atmosphere grow awkward in any way. Hermione figured that Draco could use a friend, after everything he had been through.

"I work at St. Mungo's," Draco told her once the waiter had left with their orders. "I'm in charge of taking care of all the emergencies. Apparently a kid walked in with seven ears and five eyes last night." He chuckled. "'Dunno how it happened, but Cassie made it seem like it was an interesting story."

"Cassie?" Hermione echoed, her head tilted to the side. "Is she a healer as well?"

Draco shook his head. "No, she's our receptionist. The fifth one this month, actually."

Hermione's already doe-like eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, you people truly don't know how to keep anyone around for very long."

"It's not the healers. I think it's our boss more than anything else. She can come off as…over-bearing."

"She's the intimidating type?"

"Yes, but she's a saint compared to Umbridge. I think if any of the younger ones had gone to Hogwarts during her time, they'd be alright about sticking it out. Cassie doesn't seem to mind, but then again, she's friends with everyone."

"I'd rather take an intimidating boss over one that's a good-for-nothing loser," Hermione sighed, then looked shocked at her own words. "Please don't tell anyone I said that!" She had shared her opinions about Gruesen with Harry and the Weasleys, but that was it.

Draco stifled his laughter. "You really are a goody-two-shoes, Granger."

"At least I was never turned into a ferret," Hermione shot back, smiling.

They kept up that easy banter for the rest of the meal, and both decided that it hadn't been a bad experience. In fact, Hermione had had fun. She'd even gone so far as to confide in Draco about some of the thoughts she had been having about Ron. It was nice to have someone else to talk to, for a change. She couldn't complain to Harry or Ginny, as they were close to Ron, but Draco wouldn't go running to share the information.

As for Draco…well, he learned that Granger was an incredible listener, just like she had said. Without meaning to, he had told her all about his father going to Azkaban and how his mother was coping. He hadn't really talked to anyone for a while, especially someone who was frank and honest, but sensitive at the same time. And Draco couldn't believe that Weasley wasn't acting like the boyfriend Granger deserved.

"You ought to get some revenge or something," Draco commented as he walked with Hermione back to the Ministry. It wasn't too far from St. Mungo's, and they had half an hour to kill.

Hermione snorted. That was another thing Draco approved of. Granger didn't try to be prim and ladylike, which was a breath of fresh air compared to all the chits Draco's mother tried to pair him with.

"That's such a Slytherin thing to say," was Hermione's response. Draco felt his lips twitch into a smile.

"And that's a very Hermione-esque thing to say."

Hermione found that she rather liked talking to Draco. He was witty and the conversation never died due to lack of common interest. Apparently Draco was a lot like her, and Hermione had to wonder why she hadn't noticed before. They could have been really good friends back at Hogwarts if they had only gotten past their differences sooner.

Maybe she had accidentally thought out loud, the way she did on occasion, because Draco said, "Don't you think it's strange how after all those years of insults and rivalry, we're getting along as if we'd been friends forever?"

"Did you just read my mind?" Hermione asked, laughing. "But yeah, it is a bit strange that in just a few minutes I considered you as much of a friend as I do Harry." At Draco's expression, she added, "I know you don't like the comparison, but I never thought we'd be getting along, so I'm sure you'll find that you and Harry have some of the same traits or beliefs, because I know you don't think purebloods come above everyone else anymore."

"Damn, you've got me there," Draco muttered. He glanced at the watch on his wrist. "You'd better get in there before your boss sends out a search party."

Hermione winced. "Do I have to?"

"You really hate your job that much?"

Sighing, Hermione shook her head. "I like my job, I do, but my boss drives me nutters. I dare say he'll be the death of me."

"Why don't you get him fired? Prove that you could do his job better."

"That's not a bad idea, and I appreciate the thought, but I don't think I'd be able to do that, Draco." It was still weird to use his first name, when she had called him Malfoy or 'ferret' ever since the incident in their fourth year.

"I forgot, you're too nice to do such a thing," Draco said as if that were a disappointment. Hermione was about to get defensive when she noticed his grin, and instead rolled her eyes.

"Being nice never killed anyone."

"Not yet," Draco countered. "Didn't you say it was an effort to even be polite to this Gruesen fellow?" Hermione shrugged in agreement. "Then it can probably kill someone to be nice."

Hermione grabbed Draco's arm to check the time. "Alright, I suppose I had better get going. We'll continue this argument later," she informed him stubbornly.

"Tomorrow, over lunch?"

It seemed as if Hermione was going to agree, before a flash of regret passed over her face. "I'm meeting up with Harry and Ron tomorrow."

"You don't sound too excited about that," Draco observed. Hermione's face lit up whenever she talked about the Chosen One, but when the conversation turned to the Weasel she usually avoided any questions. She didn't want to dump all of her petty issues on Draco, no matter how much of a good friend he was.

"Please don't try to be my psychiatrist."

"Who?"

A small smile graced Hermione's mouth. "They're Muggle therapists of sorts, and some even have their own talk shows. They make their money by trying to solve peoples' problems and get them to reconcile," she explained. "Sometimes they have these voices that makes it impossible to listen for too long."

"Like Snape's?"

Hermione looked upset for a moment. "Yeah, like his." Draco was about to ask her what he had done wrong when she used the time to slip away.

"I'll owl you later, Draco. Enjoy the rest of your day!" Hermione said before she rushed back to her work at a pace that she had never gone previous to her meeting with Draco.

Bewildered, Draco turned and headed back to St. Mungo's. He knew that some Potter had been quite upset by the death of their former Potions professor, but he didn't know why. Severus Snape had always seemed cold and calculating to Draco as a child, but as he grew older he began to respect the man more. If Severus hadn't been Draco's godfather, Draco wasn't sure what he would have thought about him. Admired him, perhaps, for the way he was so sarcastic at times. Aside from that, Severus had always been particularly nasty to Hermione and her friends. Draco knew that Hermione was as compassionate and soft-hearted as they came, but for what reason would she mourn Severus's death as well?

Draco was so distracted that he could only manage a nod of acknowledgement in Cassie's direction. The girl took it as a good sign – a distracted Healer Malfoy could only mean one thing. His date had gone well.

Who cared if the mystery woman had a boyfriend? Anyone in their sane mind would definitely pick Dr. Malfoy. He was charismatic and charming and rather dashing. Of course, Cassie didn't fancy her co-worker. That would be ridiculous. But she believed in every word she said – well, thought.

"Draco, darling," a voice purred. Draco stopped dead in his tracks and spun on his heel, abruptly changing directions and going back towards Cassie, where he wouldn't get attacked.

"Come, now, don't be like that," Astoria Greengrass said, pretending to be hurt. She was a very good actress, Draco decided as he neared Cassie. He felt a bit ridiculous for hiding behind a young girl but he couldn't help it. Astoria scared him.

His father had wanted Draco to marry the estimable pureblood after he graduated from Hogwarts and everything settled down, but Narcissa had met Astoria, and declared that she wouldn't have such a slut be with her little boy. She might not have said it exactly like that, for she was far too well-bred, yet the people who had been present and had some amount of brain cells could detect the meaning underneath her polite dismissal.

"Healer Malfoy, who is this?" Cassie asked, her hopes skyrocketing when she realized that this could be the mystery woman. Then she realized that was impossible. Draco wouldn't have looked so displeased if that had been the case.

"Cassie, this is Astoria Greengrass," Draco replied distastefully.

"The future Mrs. Malfoy," Astoria added with a pretty smile.

* * *

><p>AN: CLIFFHANGER! Well, sort of. Yeah, guys, I intentionally used the amazing Bonnie Gruesen's last name for Hermione's despicable boss. I love Bonnie as much as all you other Starkiddies, but Gruesen sounds like gruesome to me, which is exactly what Richard is! Anyway, I had to go play a game called Killer Bunnies with my brother who just got back from Mexico, so until next time!

Review, because they make me post faster!


	3. Chapter Three

September 19th, 2011

A/N: So I'm taking Chinese for a semester due to the fact that I don't have state history yet, and today we had a Caucasian sub. She didn't even speak Chinese. It was by far the most pointless class EVER! And it was really, really boring. Annnyways…thank you so much Cat (kitcat234 for those of you who want to read her amazing George/Hermione fan fictions) for beta reading this for me. You are appreciated as much as reviews are (which is very much, by the way)! As for what Cassie says about books…that's totally something taken straight from my mouth.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Three

"Oh-I-um…" Cassie stammered, not knowing what to make of the scene in front of her. Draco was leaning against the reception, his eyes closed as if he were desperately wishing he was somewhere else. Cassie assumed that was true, but she couldn't be too sure, could she? Healer Malfoy was the unpredictable type. He came off as arrogant and maybe a bit rude, but once you got to know him he was an entirely different person.

As for…whoever that woman was, well, her smile seemed friendly enough, and she was quite pretty, yet there was something about the way her smile didn't reach her cold green eyes that chilled Cassie to the bone. Draco had always joked about how if she had gone to Hogwarts instead of been homeschooled, Cassie would have been a Hufflepuff.

"You are not my future wife," Draco said shortly. He rolled his eyes. "Cassie, this is Astoria Greengrass. I was in the same year as her older sister Daphne. Who is, by the way, much more tolerable than someone in present company," he added with a pointed look at Astoria.

Cassie seemed to notice what was going on, but she took it the wrong way. Her expression turned sympathetic. "Did you two have a harsh break-up, then?"

Draco had to fight to keep his jaw from dropping. "For Merlin's sake, I thought I told you I hadn't been in a relationship since school!" He paused for a moment. "I just realized how sad that sounds."

Meanwhile Astoria took advantage of Cassie's innocent question. "I'm afraid so. I've been trying to get dear Draco to reconsider for over a year now." She sniffed, just for good measure.

Astoria was laying it on rather thickly, and Cassie began to consider the possibility that she was only vying for Draco's affection for the money, or some other reason that was just as despicable. Although sweet and quite naïve, Cassie deserved a lot more credit than most people gave her. She had a knack for separating lies from the truth, and she put that ability to use to help Draco out of a bind.

"Yes, well, Healer Malfoy is going to be very busy soon, so if I could ask you to please leave, Ms. Greengrass," Cassie said, apologetically but in a tone that meant she would not take no for an answer. Draco arched an eyebrow in approval. He hadn't ever seen this side of his younger coworker before. Astoria tended to bring out the best and worst in everyone she met.

That grace, that beauty, was only to lure her victims in. Once she was satisfied that she had them in her web, Astoria revealed her real personality, much like a veela when angered. Actually, Draco found that, if he gave it much consideration, Astoria Greengrass was very much like a full-blooded veela, very much indeed, which was hard to digest when Daphne was everything a Slytherin should not have been.

"I do not wish to disturb my love from his work, and therefore I will take my leave, but I will be back." Astoria eyed Draco as if she were contemplated whether or not to prove that love she proclaimed physically, but something about Draco stopped her.

Once the awful woman was gone, Draco breathed a sigh of relief.

"I have never, ever disliked someone as much as I dislike her so soon after meeting them," Cassie announced. Draco probably wouldn't get offended by her bashing of Astoria. At least, she hoped not.

Draco snorted and made Cassie's unease completely disappear. "You're not the only one, Cassie. It'd hard to believe she's related to Daphne."

"Were you friends with her sister while you were in school?" Cassie asked, propping her head up on her hands. She didn't know too much about the healer's personal life, but she didn't take any offense by it. Draco simply wasn't the type to voluntarily give out information about himself, and he closed up the minute someone started asking questions.

"Not really, no," Draco replied, with a tinge of regret. "You know about everything my family was involved in, and I assume you've heard about how nasty I was as a child from others. I stayed away from Daphne because my father thought she was a blood traitor. That's why he wanted me to marry Astoria instead of her. I don't believe I'd have minded so much if it was Daphne, even if I hate the idea of arranged marriage in the twenty-first century."

"Oh, but that would have been so romantic! You would have gotten married to Daphne, and then you two would realize that you loved each other after all!" Cassie exclaimed, clasping her hands above her heart dramatically.

Draco laughed and decided to not completely destroy the dreamer in Cassie. "You need to stop reading those Muggle romance books of yours."

"How could I possibly do that? They're the highlight of my day!"

"I thought seeing me was the highlight of your day," Draco said, pretending to wounded.

Cassie thought for a moment before shaking her head, a grin still playing on her lips. "No, the books are still more important than you."

* * *

><p>Hermione frowned at the paper in front of her. <em>No, that can't be right…old Death Eaters are having their time in Azkaban reduced? What the bloody hell is going on? <em>Outraged, Hermione stormed out of her office, causing her secretary, Gina, to stare after her in surprise.

"Gruesen!" Hermione bellowed, not even bothering to slam the door behind her. "What is the meaning of this?" She shook the paper in front of his face, her eyes daring him to try and deny what was in writing right there.

Richard Gruesen cleared his throat, stalling for time before he answered. "Normally I'd be quite happy to have you barging into my office, but this isn't going as I hoped," he said with a calmness that infuriated Hermione. "As for the proposition…aren't you the one who is saying that people deserve second chances? Isn't that why you went out to lunch with someone you hated back from Hogwarts today?"

"How could you possibly know about that? Wait, that isn't even the point! Aside from the fact that you shouldn't be prying into my personal life, you should realize that this goes against everything we've been working for this past year! Death Eaters are not human, in any way. They are cruel and vile people, and do not deserve our pity," Hermione replied, lowering her voice when she became aware of the fact that everyone else in the department could probably hear her. All too vividly she remembered being tortured in Malfoy Manor, by magical and Muggle means. She swallowed, hard, but she was not about to delve back into the past like that. She was a stronger person because of that experience, whether she liked it or not.

"So you actually did hate this person?" Gruesen asked, and Hermione decided that he was purposefully avoiding the subject at hand.

"Not as much as I hate you right now," Hermione spat. "Laws are meant to protect people. In what way is releasing criminals protecting them?"

Richard regarded the fiery witch in front of him with something that was not quite respect. He wasn't paying attention to whatever came out of Granger's mouth. No, he was focusing on how sexy she was when she was passionate about something. It was such a shame that she was caught up in that loser, Weasley.

"Are you even listening to me?" Hermione yelled. "You need to learn how to get off of your lazy arse and actually do something beneficial to someone besides yourself!" Then she calmed down considerably. "And you know what? I quit."

She didn't know what to do. She had exited the building in the heat of the moment after quickly packing up her belongings and saying goodbye to Gina, but Hermione hadn't thought about what she was going to do after. Going back to the Burrow would mean answering some awkward questions, and Harry and Ron were busy making their dreams come true.

Then again, Ron had always told Hermione that she could visit him at the Auror academy whenever she felt the need to. More like Harry had said it and Ron agreed, but they both meant well.

Hermione quietly apparated straight into Ginny's room to rid her hands of her small box of things from work. It was three o' clock now, and at least two more hours would pass before someone around her age would be there to talk to. Sighing, Hermione apparated back to Diagon Alley to return two of the books she had borrowed to Flourish and Blotts.

"Hello, Hermione," Andy said, looking startled but not displeased to see her there.

Hermione managed a wan smile as she handed the novels to him across the counter. "Thanks again. I'll be back sometime this week."

She turned to leave, but Andy's voice stopped her.

"What's wrong, lass?"

Well, she had wanted to talk to somebody about it. Hermione sighed and sat down on the barstool next to Andy.

"So today Gruesen was being even worse than usual," Hermione began. Andy had heard enough about her boss to despise him on his own. "I was sorting through some propositions to approve, and someone suggested releasing Death Eaters out of Azkaban before their sentences are over! And Gruesen wouldn't even talk about it! He just changed the subject every time, or completely ignored it."

Andy raked his hand through his hair. Business was usually slow on Mondays, but some students liked to get their shopping done early, so there was no telling when a customer would enter the store. Hermione was his friend, though, and Andy had made it a point to be there to listen whenever she needed it.

"Why is it that I feel you're leaving something important out?" Andy asked mildly. Hermione was terribly good at hiding her emotions behind a mask, and he had learned to dread the indifferent façade that made him think of Ron more than her rampages.

Hermione's curly brown hair hid her sheepish expression. "I may have quit my job," she admitted meekly. Andy's eyes practically bugged out of his head. "Well, you should have seen him! For one, he was asking me all sorts of nonsense about who I went to lunch with today, and then, he wasn't even being professional, at all. He's not a person fit for being the head of our department! He doesn't care about the work he's doing, and he has no drive other than to hit on all the women at work."

"I'm aware of that, but I thought you wanted to make a difference for house-elves and other creatures, and that's why you stuck with your job for so long?"

"Do you think I made a mistake? Because I do want to help them, it's just gotten really hard lately." Hermione sighed. "That makes me sound so selfish. I quit without even thinking about Gina and what she's going to do now! But I can't go back to the Ministry. It's so corrupt, and there's so much wrong with it that I doubt that I'd have lasted much longer if I hadn't walked out today."

"I never thought of you as the type to give up so easily, Hermione. Weren't you so determined to earn house-elves rights that you started a club back in, what, your sixth year? Not many teenagers can say they did anything for what they believed in back then, except for maybe Harry, but you know he doesn't count in this case. I'm sorry if I've offended you, but I want to make sure you're alright with your decision, that you don't have any regrets."

Hermione felt ashamed of herself. But she wouldn't do something like go back against her word. She wanted to help house-elves – truly, she did. She just couldn't take Richard Gruesen any longer.

And she knew she was only trying to make herself look better in her own eyes. It wasn't working. Andy seemed to know what was running through her mind, or maybe he simply guessed from the shadows flashing across her face, because he hugged her as best he could while sitting down.

"You'll make the right decision. After all, you aren't called the brightest witch of the age for nothing," he said.

Hermione's smile was weak, but it was there. "Thank you, Andy. Now I'm going to try and regain my sense. I don't know where my brain went, so I'd better go find it."

Feeling a bit better, yet mainly guilty, she went back to the Burrow and decided to stick it out until Ron and the others came back. She needed to talk to them. If discussing everything with Andy had helped, then maybe she could hope that the people closest to her would make her decision easier. Then again, since when was Ron the type of boyfriend to give helpful advice? Hermione shook her head quickly to clear it of such thoughts. Ron did the best he could, and that was all that mattered.

Managing to slip past Mrs. Weasley with only a small wave, Hermione settled down on the couch, with a book, an excuse if someone tried to talk to her before she was ready. A cowardly way out, but definitely an effective one.

Hermione really hadn't spent that much time at Flourish and Blotts, but it was still longer than a normal visit would have gone on. Oh well. It wasn't like anyone had been around to wonder about it.

"Hey, you're back early," Harry said, approaching Hermione with Ron shortly behind him. "Normally you don't get home until after us."

"Actually, I have something to tell you guys." Hermione's eyes flicked from her two best friends in the whole world to the fabric of the pillow she was hugging to her chest.

"What is it, 'Mione?" Ron asked, obviously concerned as he sat down next to her. He took her hand in his; if there was ever anything Ron had been good at, it was being affectionate. At that moment, Hermione appreciated it.

"I quit my job today," she confessed, looking at first Harry and then Ron.

To her surprise, a ghost of a smile was flickering on Harry's face. Hermione opened her mouth to ask him what was so funny, but he held up a hand. They had always been able to read each other well. That much hadn't changed.

"I was wondering when you'd get around to it. I think you could do better than the Ministry, Hermione. You can make a difference without their help. You're part of _the_ trio, you know, and you could use that to publicize. The rest you can do on your own, I'm sure of it."

Hermione beamed and stood up to give Harry a hug. "Thank you, that means a lot to me." Ron wrapped an arm around her shoulders once she was by his side once again, and he nodded to show that, once again, he was supporting what Harry said.

She had thought that after Harry's pep talk the matter was dropped. Sometimes Hermione wondered how she had ever been considered the brains of the trio.

"What brought it on, exactly? I know you had a lot of reasons, but you never did anything about it until now." That was Harry, again. Hermione appreciated that, although Ron was his best friend until the end, with her, they didn't have to say anything to understand each other.

"Today I was going through some propositions to be considered," Hermione said, going over her story for the second time that day. "And one was to let Death Eaters out of Azkaban before they completed their sentences. I thought it was complete rubbish, and went to complain to Gruesen, but he acted as if I hadn't said anything about it. Not to mention the fact that he kept bothering me about whom I went to lunch with. Not that it's any of his business, but of course he wants to know everything that's going on when it doesn't concern him."

Of all the things she had told them, she hadn't expected Ron to cling to the one part she considered the least important.

"Who you went to lunch with? Well, who was it?"

"Ron, does it even matter?" Hermione asked, looking and sounding quite exasperated. "I just told you the reason I quit my job, which was because they wanted to consider letting Death Eaters out before it was their time, and you're wondering who I went to lunch with?"

"Answer my question," Ron said, with the stubbornness and determination of a small child.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "If you must know, I was having lunch with a friend."

"Does that friend have a name?"

She hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out how Ron would react if she told him the truth. She could always lie and say Gina, but she was the one who said honesty was important in a healthy relationship. Besides, surely Ron was mature enough to let go of childish rivalries, right?

"It was Draco."

"_Malfoy_? The Amazing Bouncing Ferret?" Ron exclaimed, unknowingly copying his sister's reaction, although to a higher level.

Then, to Hermione's complete surprise, Ron grew quiet.

"Never mind. You're old enough to choose who you want to be friends with. Who am I to stop you?" He shrugged, and glanced towards the door. "I'm going to go on a walk. See you lot later."

Hermione stared at Harry. "What on earth was that about?"

* * *

><p>AN: I always thought that as Ron grew older, he wouldn't be as quick with his temper. Instead, he'd brood over things in private. As I've kind of gone through this before, I think that Hermione would get fed up at his lack of reaction, and therefore some interesting developments would ensue. That's jut my opinion. I'll see if I can convince you guys later ;)

Review, it makes me happy!


	4. Chapter Four

September 21st, 2011

A/N: I won't bore you with an enormous author's note, although I do appreciate the few of you who take the time to read these, but I'd like to say thanks to Cat (kitcat234) for taking the time and beta reading these chapters for me. They'd probably be complete rubbish without you – I'm American, through and through, and a thirteen year old at that. Plus I'm big on fantasizing. You help keep the characters in check (:

Read and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Four

Harry shrugged, his body relaxing against the back of the couch. But Hermione wouldn't be fooled. The way Harry's eyes seemed incapable of settling on one particular spot gave him away, and he cursed himself for not having learned to break that habit long ago. Only Hermione would notice something like that. Even Ginny had trouble figuring out what Harry was thinking sometimes.

"You would tell me anything important, right, Harry? Or are you pretending to be ignorant just to protect him? Is there something going on that I don't know about?"

For someone with an I.Q. as high as hers, Hermione sure was oblivious about certain things. Like Harry would ever be able to keep something hidden from her for very long.

"I just have an idea as to what 'that' was about, 'Mione. Calm down. I'm sure it's nothing serious," Harry said, making more of an effort to come off as nonchalant. He wasn't that great of an actor, unless his life depended on it. Hermione was the gifted one in their little circle – she could accomplish absolutely anything if she set her mind to it. But Harry had a few tricks up his sleeve too. One being the fact that he knew how to make Hermione leave him alone, which came in handy when he didn't want to talk about whatever it was Hermione had brought up.

"Now what are you planning to do, now that you've had the chance to think about it?" he asked abruptly. Hermione's glare was startled away, and her expression grew thoughtful. "You could always come and jump into Auror training," Harry suggested. "You'd be really good at it and you'd definitely make a difference that way."

Hermione shook her head. Even if she didn't know what she wanted, exactly, she knew what she didn't.

"I don't think the life of an Auror would be right for me. It was always intelligence that got me through tough situations. To be an Auror you need to be really talented," Hermione replied, worrying her bottom lip.

Harry wanted to groan in frustration. Hermione didn't know how skilled she was. She was the one that kept him from getting killed too many times to count. She was the one who saved strangers' lives by a little bit of reading. And she was the one who helped end it all. If that wasn't considered amazing, Harry didn't know what was.

"If I keep listing some career options, will you just pick one? Because I have a feeling you have no idea where you're heading," Harry observed. He didn't have to worry about Ginny coming home before he got anything out of Hermione. His girlfriend had Quidditch practice, and then she was going to go to dinner with her teammates. Harry would have been paranoid, but how could he be, when the Harpies consisted of only female players?

"You're right. I still want to work for the sake of house-elves, and other poor, defenseless creatures, though."

"You're starting to sound like Hagrid. What do you consider poor and defenseless, exactly?"

"Oh, I don't know. Every other poor thing that gets enslaved when it has the right for freedom. Goblins, maybe, but definitely not dragons. I felt terrible for the one at Gringotts, but we fixed its problem, didn't we?" Hermione said with a small sigh. "I wonder how it's doing right now."

"Not the time, 'Mione."

Hermione bit her cheek. What _did _she want to do? If she couldn't give house-elves more rights through the Ministry, she wanted to change peoples' minds about the way they treated their servants. Even if the house-elves couldn't be freed they ought to be respected. What job would let her influence people like that? Witches and wizards, especially purebloods, were so set in the old ways that they hardly ever wanted to accept change. Hermione would need an insider to help her figure out what her next move would be.

"That's it!" she exclaimed, her brown eyes, so dull before, now very bright. "Oh, Harry, you've been an immense help. I'll talk to you once I've got everything figured out. Thank you!" Knowing that she had made her friend rather confused and not particularly caring at the moment, Hermione ran over to the fireplace and flooed to St. Mungo's.

_It's been a while since I've been here last_, she thought as she approached the reception counter. One of her most vivid memories consisted of Neville, looking so worn and haunted after he finished a visit with his parents. Hermione made herself snap out of it. It was not the time to get wrapped up in the past.

"I need to speak with Dra-Healer Malfoy, please," she told the receptionist, the one she assumed was Cassie, from what Draco had said.

"Is it an emergency?" Cassie asked, trying to figure out what was wrong with the witch standing in front of her and coming up with nothing. "Because otherwise he's unavailable."

"Oh, it's not really an emergency, exactly, but I do need to speak with him."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but unless you have a medical problem Healer Malfoy will not see you," Cassie said, very patiently, at that. Working at St. Mungo's meant she had to be polite to even the people who frustrated her the most, although she had to admit that the curly-haired witch seemed like a nice sort.

Hermione hated playing the 'Oh I'm a famous war veteran who helped cause the downfall of Voldemort' card as much as Harry did, but she would if she had to. Ron liked to flaunt around the fact that a poor blood traitor such as he could be so famous and rich just to prove people who had taunted him before wrong, and while Hermione did not begrudge him of that, it got annoying at times. She could only imagine what it was like for others who did not know how down-to-earth Ron could be when he chose.

Luckily Hermione didn't have to throw her dignity out the window.

"Alright, Cassie, I'm leaving for the day."

_Thank Merlin for this man's impeccable timing_, Hermione thought, turning so Draco would see her face.

"Hermione?" Draco blinked a few times, as if trying to confirm she was there. "What are you doing here? Is anything wrong?"

Cassie's eyes widened. Draco sounded so concerned about the woman, whose name seemed very familiar. Could it possibly be the same one he had gone to lunch with, the mystery woman Cassie was dying to know about? It almost seemed too good to be true.

But wait. She couldn't eavesdrop on a healer's conversation. It wouldn't be right. But she was oh so curious now.

"Nothing's wrong, at least, not medically. Do you have time to talk before you go home?" Hermione asked, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. She had forgotten to replace her old work robes with different ones when she got back to the Burrow, and was feeling quite self-conscious. Wizards and witches who didn't wear robes all the time were heard of, but they were rare. _Oh, well, they can't hold it against me. I have plenty of reasons to dress like a Muggle._

"Sure," Draco said, looking rather bewildered in Hermione's mind. Was it strange that she had come to see him at his work? Perhaps things were different at St. Mungo's. She could usually visit Ron and Harry whenever she felt the need, and she was never questioned. Then again, all the Aurors knew her face and what she had done for their world.

"Thanks," Hermione breathed. She waited for Draco to take the lead; she didn't want to rush him, despite her impatience to get going. She had been the one that nearly barged into his office, after all.

Still appearing confused, Draco walked out of St. Mungo's, Hermione by his side. She opened her mouth to tell him all about quitting her job, and to ask his opinion on what she ought to do next, but he spoke first.

"Do you want to go to The Three Broomsticks? I'm afraid talking on the streets isn't exactly what I had in mind. The idea that anyone could hear us isn't entirely appealing to me," Draco told Hermione, his tone dry but his eyes bright with barely concealed laughter. A sheepish smile and a nod was his only response, although Hermione looked like she was about to burst for whatever reason. Thinking that he would never understand women, no matter how hard he tried, Draco apparated to The Three Broomsticks, bringing Hermione along with him.

Once they were finally seated and had butterbeers in front of them – Draco had paid, despite Hermione's protests – the witch could no longer control herself. She had to tell Draco her news.

"I quit my job at the Ministry."

Hermione had been expecting pure disbelief and shock to cross Draco's sharp features. Instead, he seemed no more surprised than he had when he saw her at his work place only a few minutes before.

"Go on," Draco said, arching a pale eyebrow.

Refusing to dwell on something that was actually quite mind boggling, Hermione continued.

"I'm not entirely sure what I want to do next, but I simply could not stay there any longer. They actually let a proposition to let Death Eaters out of Azkaban before their time is up get all the way to me! I'm one of the last few people needed to approve of something before it can get passed or put in motion. To know that that many of our workers were okay with that…" Hermione shook her head in disgust. Then she paused, and remembered the fact that Draco's father had been a Death Eater. Aside from that, Draco himself had had the Dark Mark branded on his left forearm. He hadn't chosen that, true, but it was still there, tainting his skin forever. Hermione believe that Draco had changed for the better. Truly, she did. But she had to wonder about his opinions on the matter at hand.

"I can't say I blame you," Draco remarked when he noticed that Hermione didn't look like she was going to delve much more into the topic. "If the Ministry starts to let criminals off easy, no one will support it. No one wants a repeat of then, with wizards and witches who love to use the Unforgivables will be running around freely."

Hermione nodded. She sipped at her drink absently and wondered what else she ought to tell Draco. The whole reason she was there was because she wanted advice on how to help change peoples' opinions on house-elves. But Hermione was also a bit uncomfortable with the way Ron had reacted, to everything. She couldn't confide in Harry – he was Ron's best mate, for Merlin's sake. Hermione wouldn't ask him to choose sides. But Draco…Draco would remain neutral and honest, no matter what the situation. Hermione wasn't sure if that was a good thing quite yet, the way he spoke his mind without worrying about a person's feelings. She decided it was a good thing, simply because she needed that kind of honesty right then.

"While I was explaining to Ron about what led to me quitting, I mentioned the fact that my former boss," Hermione loved the sound of that, "inquired after who I went to lunch with. Ron was curious as well. I didn't see why it mattered, but I told him. At first I thought he was going to explode, he turned so red, but then he calmed down considerably."

"And you're upset about that?" Draco asked, more so curious than incredulous. He knew some women liked to know their significant others cared about them by means of the most obscure ways, but he hadn't thought Hermione was like that. Besides, Draco wasn't even sure if she was. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions, thinking that Hermione was as strange as any other women he had encountered.

Hermione twirled a lock of hair around her finger, and wasn't sure how to answer Draco's question. Was she upset? Sure, the passive Ron kind of bothered and confused her, but it was better than him being angry. His childish tantrums had been one of the reasons Hermione had found him so very insufferable during their years at Hogwarts, even while she cried over him during the time when Ron had dated Lavender Brown. Hermione found that the more she thought about it, the more relieved she was that Ron hadn't started yelling at her.

"No, I don't think I am. I'm just used to him overreacting, and I don't know how to feel about this new Ron."

"That's understandable," Draco replied fairly. "But even I can see that the Weasel definitely has feelings for you. Hell, I bet even Goyle noticed at some point, while we were all at Hogwarts. You don't have anything to worry about."

Hermione smiled slightly. Draco definitely knew how to make something sound painstakingly obvious.

_Oh, bugger, I got completely off topic…_ Hermione sighed inwardly. It seemed as if ever since the war ended she couldn't stay focused as well as she could before, and that bothered her. She had only noticed it recently, and it had been hovering at the edge of her mind. She didn't know the reason, but she would love to figure it out.

"Anyway, the reason I asked to talk to you was because I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. I want to help house-elves by changing peoples' opinions about them but I don't know what step to take. Any suggestions?"

"Hm…" Draco ran a hand through his tousled blonde hair. He had stopped slicking it back with gel after the Battle of Hogwarts – it reminded him of his father, who was rotting away in a cell in Azkaban, far too much.

Draco wasn't sure how to give Hermione the advice she so obviously craved. He himself had grown up believing house-elves were only servants, and nothing more. But as the years went by he realized that they did have minds, and feelings, so he stopped being cruel to them. His mother, too, had started to act more kindly to the little creatures who attended to their every need. Draco just wasn't positive on what had brought the change on.

"It's going to be hard, Hermione," he said eventually. "Purebloods plant the seed young. Children are raised around house-elves who give them anything they want. Then they teach their children, and the cycle repeats."

Hermione considered Draco's words. _Plant the seed young…_ And Draco could practically see the gears turning in her head. Hermione Granger was forming an idea, and it was bound to be brilliant.

"I know just what I'm going to do," Hermione announced excitedly. Draco, wondering where that was going, patiently waited for her to explain more clearly.

_Is she sure she knows what she's going to do…?_ Draco thought when Hermione didn't continue for a few minutes. Little did he know that she was worried about how he would react.

_What if he thinks it's stupid? It probably is. Oh, bugger, I wish I could talk to Harry._ Then Hermione gave herself a mental shake. Draco wasn't mean enough to completely bash one of her ideas.

"I'm thinking that I should open a day care, or a school, for little witches and wizards who aren't quite ready to go to Hogwarts. It'd probably be for ages four to eleven, or something like that. From what you've told me, most pureblood parents don't really pay attention to their children, so I'd get plenty of those at my school. I could teach them about house-elves and how to treat them. And I could also help them learn to control their magic, and other things. Oh, it'd be perfect!" Hermione's grew brighter the longer she continued talking. If she was that excited about this little school of hers, Draco would support her. He only hoped that Weasel would as well.

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry if you got confused at any point in this chapter o.o Let me know if I should change anything, and I'll take it into consideration. My chapters usually have over 3,000 words (I don't think this one is), but that's mainly because I have huge author's notes :P Oh, and check out Catherine Potter 09's stories if you're a fan of Harmione :) I ship like, everyone with Hermione, so I'm happy with a lot of fics, as long as they're realistic and at least a little fluffy xD Also, go read kitcat234's work! :D She's amazing at writing and she helps me a lot with my stories. She specializes in Germione, and has recently published another story that's a really great idea. You can find some of her stuff in my favorites!

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	5. Chapter Five

October 6th, 2011

A/N: I'm very sorry it's been such a long time, everyone D: Last weekend I was sick and unable to write a chapter, and then I forgot what I was going to write about. I still don't know. I'm just typing whatever crap pops into my head…and I've been a little too mad to write. My lit/LA teacher is killing me. Not to mention all that typical boy drama that does appear every so often in a teenage girl's life. Thanks again to Cat (kitcat234) for beta reading this! You are amazing (:

Chapter Five

Now that Hermione thought about it, opening a day care/little school seemed like a brilliant plan. She loved learning new things, so she'd probably enjoy sharing that with others. And it would give her a chance to influence the children of pureblood witches and wizards who were stuck in the old ways. Yes, this plan would suit Hermione quite nicely.

All she had to do was tell Ron about it, and how she came up with the idea.

Hermione didn't doubt that Ron would take it well. But sometimes passiveness was as frightening as anger. At least when Ron was yelling and shouting Hermione knew what he was thinking.

_Pull yourself together, _Hermione thought as she prepared to apparated back to the Burrow. _It's not such a big deal. You've overcome far more challenging trials. This'll be a piece of cake._ Saying things to your mind and believing them, though, are two very different things.

"Hermione!" It was Harry's voice that greeted her first. "Where did you run off to?"

"Sorry, Harry," the curly-haired witch replied, taking her friend's arm to steady herself as she appeared in the kitchen. "I had to talk to Draco."

Hermione watched as Harry struggled to bite back an insult directed towards their old classmate. He was trying, that much was obvious, and Hermione appreciated it. If only Harry could see for himself that Draco had indeed changed for the better, of which she was attempting to inform him daily.

"Why?" Harry asked as they walked into the sitting room.

"He helped me come up with an idea," Hermione said, smiling. "But I'll tell you later. I want to tell you and Ron together."

"Tell him and Ron what?"

Hermione turned and came face to face with her boyfriend. "Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't know you were here…" In all honesty, Hermione had guessed that Ron would stalk off and brood somewhere for a while before coming back and talking to her again. Judging from Harry's smug expression, it was obvious that he had been the one to speak with Ron.

"So what were you telling me and Harry?" Ron repeated, motioning with one hand for Hermione to speed up in her explanation.

"I'm going to start a day care!" Hermione announced, sitting down on the worn but well-loved couch and drawing her feet up under her.

"A what?"

"A day care, Ron. I'm fairly certain they have those in the wizard world too," Hermione said, a bit dryly.

"They do, but are you sure?" Ron asked, sounding far more skeptical than Hermione would have liked.

Harry appeared as if he might side with Hermione for that one time, but he knew it was best to keep to himself during conversations – or more likely arguments – between two people who happened to be in a relationship.

"I'm quite sure," Hermione told Ron, frowning slightly. "I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier, either. It might be a little rocky just starting out, but I think I'll enjoy it. Maybe Gina will even help me out."

"I just don't want to see you stuck in another job you hate," Ron replied, holding his hands up, palm out, in the universal sign for 'surrender'. "And who's Gina?"

Hermione opened her mouth, but Harry took the words right out of it. "Ron, do you ever pay attention to anything?" Ron might have been Hermione's boyfriend, but Harry was and always would be her best friend, for many reasons. That moment was only one example.

* * *

><p>The building was quaint and welcoming. It was almost like a very large cottage with a playground nearby. And best of all, it was in a wizard community not far from the Burrow, so Hermione didn't have to travel too far.<p>

"What do you think?" Hermione asked, turning to Gina. She was lucky to have convinced her old coworker to join her in founding a new daycare. Hermione had liked working with Gina, who was witty and compassionate, and shared her hatred of Richard Gruesen. Gina was probably the only thing Hermione had missed about the Ministry.

"I like it," Gina decided with a smile. "It's cute. Plus, we can install another swing set closer to here on some of the grass in the back of the daycare." She pointed to a small backyard, where she could already picture little witches and wizards playing.

"That's a brilliant idea, Gina!" Hermione said. "You think we can open this place up before I turn twenty one?"

"Is that a challenge?"

Hermione thought about it for a moment and grinned. "Why not? Let's make it one. Let's see if we can open our daycare by the time I turn twenty one."

"You've got yourself a deal, Ms. Granger," Gina said, laughing as she offered a hand to Hermione. Struggling to keep a straight face, Hermione shook the hand, and promptly burst into fits of laughter.

Hermione wished Gina had been a Gryffindor with her during their school years, instead of a Hufflepuff. They could have been great friends while they were at Hogwarts, but they had never crossed paths due to different houses, even though they were the same age. There was no time to talk with anyone outside of your small group in Herbology, and then there was the fact that Hermione had vanished for her seventh year before going back. Gina had once admitted that going up and chatting with one of Harry Potter's inner circle was a tad intimidating to some people.

"Who do we talk to before we get to claim this place?" Gina asked, her dark eyes focused on the building as a few of her fingers played with her long black hair. Hermione didn't know why an Italian family like Gina's had moved to England, where there was no sun. But more importantly, she didn't understand how they maintained their olive complexions.

"A real estate agent who should have arrived by now," Hermione replied, frowning as she glanced around. She had no idea what the man looked like, but she figured he would have a name tag or something to represent his position. She was beginning to regret missing the initial meeting, which never did get rescheduled.

Gina was obviously getting impatient. While she strived to help others, she could tolerate waiting for only about ten minutes. To take up time, Gina liked to pace.

Hermione almost felt like joining her. The real estate agent was twenty minutes late. She and Gina had already gotten the chance to go inside the building and examine it, and had even walked to the park to see what it was like. If the man didn't show up soon, Hermione had a feeling that if Gina left, she would follow shortly after.

"I'm so very sorry I'm late, Ms. Granger, Ms. Rivera," a flustered young man who looked no older than twenty three said, running up to meet his clients. When he stopped, Hermione noticed that his glasses were askew, and his tie was rumpled. All in all, his appearance was rather ruffled, so it was hard to hold a grudge against him. "I hope you weren't waiting too long."

"Oh, only a few minutes," Hermione assured him. It certainly had not been three or five minutes, but judging by the real estate agent's worried expression, he didn't need to feel any guiltier.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" The young man blushed. "I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Joseph Gruesen. You can either call me Joey or Joe."

Hermione blinked. "Your last name is Gruesen?"

"Why, yes," Joey answered, seeming as confused as Ron when it came to anything Muggle.

_I don't recall him ever mentioning a younger brother…_Hermione thought. _Perhaps I shouldn't say anything. _But curiosity got the best of her and she had to ask.

"Would you happen to have an elder brother who works at the Ministry, by any chance?"

"Yes, actually, I do," Joey said, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Do you know him? His name is Richard."

Hermione suppressed a wince. How was seemingly nice, flummoxed Joey related to Richard Gruesen in any way? Their differences were shown in their careers, though. Richard would never even consider being a real estate agent, no matter how high the pay might be. He believed he belonged in an office that represented his power and position. Joey was actually out in the world helping other people make their right match. In Hermione's mind, there was no question as to who did better with what they had.

"He used to be our boss at the Ministry," Hermione explained, gesturing to herself and Gina. "I, ah, didn't always see eye to eye with him." She hoped her statement wouldn't offend Joey. People always tended to be very defensive of their family, which Hermione understood, but she felt obligated to be honest. Lying during the first meeting didn't bode well for any relationship, especially a business one.

Fortunately, Joey nodded in understanding. "It's alright, I know what you mean." He pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and cleared his throat. "Shall we get to business and take a tour of the building?"

"We've already taken the liberty of looking inside," Gina said. Joey turned his full attention to her, then blushed and began to stutter again when he spoke.

"I-I see. Then we c-can skip right to the p-papers."

Hermione hid a smile behind her hand as Gina caught her eye, and did her best to nonchalantly turn to look at their surroundings for what had to be the fourth time since their arrival at the soon to be daycare. She was facing Joey again by the time he had the papers and pens out.

"You two just need to sign your names and write your initials down in some places, and then this place is yours! You can call me if you have any questions," Joey added, looking terrified at that very thought.

Instead of answering Joey, Hermione simply took one of the pens from him and scrawled her signature on the appropriate lines. Once she was done, she passed everything to Gina and smiled in satisfaction. She was really starting her own daycare. Hermione couldn't wait to show Ron, and Harry, and Ginny, and Draco. He had become a constant in her life, so she couldn't leave him out of many things anymore. If Hermione had to tell Harry something, she usually had to share with Draco as well.

Unable to contain her excitement and not caring that what she was about to do was hardly dignified, Hermione grabbed Gina's hands and started jumping up and down.

"We've done it, Gina! We're opening our daycare!"

Gina threw back her head and laughed. Hermione's joy was rather contagious. Soon, even Joey was chuckling at their acting like little girls. Sometimes, even the most responsible witches and wizards have to let loose and have some fun.

* * *

><p>"You honestly jumped up and down? Right in front of the real estate agent?"<p>

Hermione nodded a bit self-consciously, but her grin was still there. "You can even ask Gina to confirm it."

Draco shook his head in disbelief. "She should have recorded that or taken a picture or SOMETHING." Since he had started to spend more time with Hermione, so much so that they saw each other at least four days every week, Draco had learned more about Muggle culture. Honestly, they invented amazing things without magic. They had found a way to make wizard pictures that not only moved, but talked. That was pretty cool.

"I'm sorry to say that she did not have a camera on her…wait, no. I'm not sorry about that," Hermione said, laughing. "It's embarrassing when I think about it. Having other people see it, aside from Gina and Joey…Merlin, that would be mortifying!"

"Was it really that bad?" Draco asked, laughing as well. He noticed that they were both done with their meals, and motioned for Hermione to wait a moment. Draco flagged down the waitress and paid for lunch quickly, so the witch in front of him didn't have time to protest.

"I didn't think much of it until Gina said something," Hermione told Draco as they stood and walked out of the café together. "She's probably still laughing about it now."

Draco snorted, shook his head again, and slowed his pace so Hermione could lead the way. He had no idea where her and Gina's daycare was, and he didn't want to make a fool of himself by getting lost.

He had reached the crossroad before Hermione. Instinctively, Draco turned to the right and made to go down that path. A small hand on his arm startled him. When he looked down, Hermione was by his side.

"You're going the wrong way," Hermione informed him, her eyes bright with amusement.

"Hey, that's not my fault," Draco said, but it was half-hearted. Maybe it was partially his fault…perhaps the tiniest bit.

"Come on, it's to the left." With her hand never leaving his arm, Hermione led Draco to what was now 'Hogwarts for Children 10 and under'. There were only going to be two 'professors', but every child at Hermione and Gina's daycare was going to learn whatever they needed to blend in and thrive in both the Muggle and wizard world.

Hermione stopped in front of the building, a proud, radiant smile on her face. She had never felt so confident about anything before in her life – that much was obvious.

"Here we are!" Hermione sang happily. "The sign isn't up yet, but it will be soon. Gina and I think we can be ready for business by the time it's my birthday."

"Your birthday's on September 19th, right?"

_He remembered!_ Hermione thought, a bit surprised, but delighted nonetheless. It was nice to be friends with a guy who wasn't extraordinarily forgetful.

"Yes, it is. Do you think we can open our daycare up by then?" Hermione replied. September 19th was exactly one month away. She could get plenty of things done in thirty days.

Draco considered it for a moment. "Yeah, I think you can. Knowing you, you could probably get anything done by then," he said, laughing a little. He had never met Gina, but from what he heard, she was as much of a hard worker as Hermione. Together they were most likely unstoppable.

"What does the Weasel think of it?" Draco asked, eyeing the cottage-shaped school.

"Ron," Hermione went out of her way to exaggerate the name, "hasn't seen it yet. Aside from Gina, you're the first."

Draco didn't bother to conceal his shock. "I am? Why?"

Hermione chuckled and ran a hand through her tousled brown curls. "You were the closest, I guess. And I don't like to pull the boys out of their Auror training. Ginny has Quidditch practice. Luna's off on some goose chase again. Besides, you're my friend too. The real question is, why not?"

"Fair point, Granger," Draco said. "Now, can we go inside?"

* * *

><p>About an hour later, Hermione was back at the Burrow. She felt thoroughly exhausted, and didn't even know why. She hadn't done much that day. Perhaps it was just her excitement getting to her at last. Whatever the case, Hermione didn't dwell on it too long.<p>

The moment she arrived at the Burrow, Hermione disappeared into Ginny's room and changed into more comfortable clothes to wear around the house. She switched slacks and a blazer for well-worn jeans and a sweater Mrs. Weasley had made for her one Christmas, then wandered out to the kitchen to see who was home with her.

"Hermione, dear, how did the meeting with the real estate agent go?" Mrs. Weasley asked the moment she saw Hermione.

Grinning, Hermione handed Mrs. Weasley her copy of all the papers she had signed that morning.

"Oh, that's wonderful! When do you plan on opening it? And I quite like the name, too," Mrs. Weasley added, smiling along with her youngest son's girlfriend.

"Gina and I think that we can get it ready before my birthday," Hermione said, sitting down at the kitchen counter. "Would you like to see it later? I'm planning on taking the others out there when they're all back."

"I'd like that very much, dear."

Hermione felt her eyes sting at the maternal look Mrs. Weasley gave her. She was so much like a mother to the girl, she had no idea. Not only had Mrs. Weasley taken Harry in, she had taken in Hermione as well. Hermione's own mother had no clue as to what her daughter was up to, despite her attempts to reconcile.

With an understanding smile, Mrs. Weasley drew Hermione into a warm hug, not letting go until all of her tears had disappeared.

* * *

><p>AN: So if any of you have gotten impatient...remember that I DO have homework, I do have extracurricular activities (I'm a reading tutor, of course), and that not only do I have to write the chapters, Cat has to take time out of her own writing to beta read mine. Just a few suggestions for fan fics: Wizards-Pupil if you like any of the twins with Hermione - she also has one out about her and Oliver. kitcat234 if you just wanna be awesome xD But she specializes in Germione. WrittenAnonymous if you like Rose and Scorpius - her fics are pretty good, albeit a bit American, the way mine are before Cat gets to them. I had more but I can't think of them right now. Check those out if you're interested, because I highly recommend all of them :)

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	6. Chapter Six

October 26th, 2011

A/N: Dang, you people really like your Dramione. This story has gotten more hits than some of my older ones in around one month. Anyway, if you guys have the time, check out my profile and choose which fan fictions of mine you like the best so far. And for those of you anticipating a big Ron bashing, I'm not going to do that. I don't think he was a bad person at all, he just wasn't right for Hermione. If anything, I think she would break up with him. I don't know. You guys tell me what you think! Sorry I haven't updated for a while; I've been rewriting The Legacy Continues bit by bit. Another big thanks to kitcat234 for being the best beta reader a little amateur like me could have (:

Chapter Six

Hermione drummed her fingers against the kitchen counter at the Burrow nervously, worrying her bottom lip. It was September 12th, a week before her twenty first birthday, and she and Gina planned on opening their day care on September 13th. To top off the mountain of stress Hermione was dealing with, she still hadn't managed to show Ron the building quite yet. He was always busy with work, because as a new Auror he had a lot of desk jobs to handle, and she was in a flurry trying to get all of her preparations done.

_Well, it's now or never,_ Hermione thought, standing up and abandoning her mug of tea, which was warm and untouched, even though she had been sitting in front of it for ten minutes. She wandered to the living room, because she had heard some exclamations of protests a while back, and figured Harry and Ron were playing some sort of game.

"'Mione, care to join us?" Harry asked, grinning at the curly-haired witch. He and Ron were playing Muggle video games on a T.V. Arthur had found and tampered with. There were glitches left when he was finished, so Hermione had taken it upon herself to fix it all the way, and the Weasley men had been attached to it ever since.

Hermione shook her head, a slight smile etched on her face. "No, thank you, Harry…I'm not that big on video games. Ron? Can I talk to you for a bit?"

Harry snorted, his eyes never straying from the television screen. "Words to fear, mate. Good luck." He continued to press buttons and the like, shouting when he died in the virtual world.

_The Boy Who Lived or not, Harry is still just a boy_.

Ron got to his feet reluctantly and followed his girlfriend of three years out of the room. He probably wouldn't have been anxious if Harry had kept that comment of his to himself.

"What's up, 'Mione?" Ron smiled at her, seeming to relax a bit when Hermione handed him a mug of his own.

"Well, I thought that if you weren't busy today," Hermione started, thinking that if Ron had time to play video games with Harry, he had plenty of time to see where she would be working, "you could come and see the building," she finished, sipping at her tea.

Ron scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders, which were well-muscled after so many months of Quidditch and Auror training. "I don't see why not."

Hermione held back on voicing her inner thoughts. Why did Ron have to act like whatever he did was a blessing for her? Hermione mentally berated herself. She tended to jump to the worst conclusions, and she was trying to rid herself of that bad habit. Ron deserved better.

"Come on, then," Hermione said cheerfully. She took hold of Ron's arm and apparated to the front of her soon-to-be daycare.

Ron's expression screamed _This is it?_ He didn't say anything, though, so neither did Hermione. They kept the conversation polite, but it seemed wrong to the latter, like something was off.

"You guys have signed the papers and everything?" Ron asked, breaking the silence that had lapsed between the couple.

Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The entire Weasley clan knew that she and Gina owned the cottage-like building. Even little Victoire had uttered something that resembled a "Congratulations" after prompting from her parents.

"Yes, Ronald," Hermione replied shortly. The use of his full name was not lost on Ron, who continued staring at the sign in front of Hermione's daycare in bemusement, like he couldn't believe what was right in front of his eyes and didn't understand what he had done wrong. Typical Ronald.

* * *

><p>Draco was on his way back from an emergency call at St. Mungo's, and found that he was instead walking to Hermione's daycare. He hadn't expected that, nor had he expected that Hermione and the Weasel would be there as well.<p>

He stood watching them for a moment, his hands shoved into his coat pockets. Normally he would have cast a warming charm on himself, but Draco had wanted to explore Muggle London, and he knew he would get some odd looks if he strolled around without a jacket.

Eventually, Draco decided he was being far too timid for a Malfoy, and approached Hermione and her boyfriend.

"Hey there, Hermione," Draco said with a slight smile. His gray eyes swiveled over to Ron and he acknowledged the indignant redhead with a curt nod. The bloke couldn't be that bad, if he was revisiting Hermione's new workplace willingly.

Hermione turned around and beamed at him. "Oh, hi, Draco! What are you doing here?"

Draco shrugged, and although he kept his eyes on Hermione, he also knew that Ron was glaring daggers at his head.

"I was in the area and I ended up here, I guess," he told Hermione, who blinked at him. Prompted by the confusion shown in Hermione's way of acting, he continued. "I got an emergency call from the hospital and decided fresh air would do me some good."

Hermione nodded, accepting that answer, and focused on her daycare again. Ron was silent, but that was for the best, because he would surely attack Draco if the two started to have an actual conversation. Hermione didn't need a repeat of her first six years at Hogwarts. Going through those encounters once was quite enough for her.

"So you're a healer now?" Ron asked, out of the blue. _Didn't he just say he was coming back from St. Mungo's?_ Hermione thought, biting her tongue.

Draco glanced at Hermione and smirked; he had an idea of her line of thought. He didn't comment on it, and for that she was grateful.

"Have been for the past year," Draco said, removing one hand from his jacket to run it through his hair. "That's why I went back to Hogwarts for my last year. Sadly, you still need N.E.W.T.s to become a healer."

Hermione snorted and covered it with a cough. Draco caught her eye and grinned. Luckily, Ron didn't notice. He was too busy sputtering indignantly, until he was pink in the face. Had Harry been there, he would have commented that Ron looked a bit like his Uncle Vernon.

"You bloody git!" Ron exclaimed. "You haven't changed at all, have you? You're just as arrogant and as much of an arsehole as you were during school!"

Fearing the worst, Hermione tried to calm Ron. "Ron, please, you're blowing this all out of proportion." Her words had no effect on him, though, and she turned large and scared brown eyes to Draco.

He had no idea what to do. He had meant the remark as a joke; he hadn't expected Ron to react the way he was. Caught up in his thoughts, Draco barely managed to duck a punch Ron threw his way. He took a step back, and he was met by a vision of Hermione desperately trying to hold her boyfriend back.

"Ron, stop it! Come on, let's just go home!"

Draco briefly reflected on the fact that Hermione hadn't said, "Let's just go back to your place", and had instead used the word "home", like she lived there too. He hadn't decided how he felt about that – the only reason he cared was because he was her friend – when he saw something that made him want to run, more than Ron's threats did.

"Draco!" a sweet, deceiving voice sang. Hermione froze, and during that time Ron managed to escape her hold, but he didn't attack Draco again. Everyone's gazes were fixed on the tall, willowy brunette heading their way.

"_Astoria_?" Draco shook his head in disbelief. So she was stalking him now. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

Hermione's mouth opened and closed. She had heard plenty of abuse about Astoria Greengrass, of course, but Draco had never mentioned how drop-dead gorgeous the woman was. Hermione knew Draco was a rare case of a man who had a good sense of mind and good morals as well, and yet she couldn't believe that he had truly resisted all of Astoria's advances steadfastly. No male in his right mind would ignore her; even Ron, who was in a committed relationship.

Astoria brushed back her chocolate brown hair to reveal a perfectly symmetrical face, and Hermione found that she was feeling more and more self-conscious by the second, especially since Ron was shamelessly ogling Astoria.

"What are you doing here?" Draco asked. Hermione wasn't surprised when Astoria called him out for being rude and impolite.

"One would think you would greet your fiancé in a more respectful way, seeing as you were brought up in one of the oldest pureblood families in existence," Astoria said, frowning.

_Fiancé?_ Hermione thought. _Draco was right. Astoria is off her rocker. _

"_You_ are engaged to _her_?" Ron stared at Draco, as if seeing him for the first time.

Hermione answered for Draco. "He _was_, and then they broke the engagement. I don't know why you're so interested." She attempted to appear indifferent, but she really did want Ron to reassure her in some way.

"How do you know so much about it?" The question was directed at Hermione this time, from Ron, and it caused the former to roll her eyes.

"Because I listen when someone talks to me," she snapped.

"Ouch," Draco said. Hermione gave him her death glare, but she was glad he was on her side. Ron simply wasn't being reasonable. That was another thing Hermione and Draco had in common – oblivious significant others.

Astoria addressed Ron and Hermione, if only because they were interrupting her conversation with Draco.

"And who are you two?"

Suddenly, Ron was part of the trio that helped bring down Voldemort and a professional, trained Auror once again. "I'm Ron Weasley." He held out a hand for Astoria to shake, but dropped it when it was ignored.

Astoria folded her arms. Hermione wouldn't realize it, but Draco knew Astoria was more curious about her identity than Ron's.

"Hermione Granger," she said as politely as she could to the repulsive woman in front of her.

Astoria regarded Hermione with contempt before she faced Draco again. "This is what you're filling your company with? A blood traitor and a mudblood?" She wrinkled her nose in distaste, and while Hermione was offended, it brought Ron back to himself.

As beautiful as a supermodel or not, Ron would hurt Astoria Greengrass for calling his girlfriend a mudblood, the worst insult of all in the wizard world.

Draco was ready to injure Astoria too, but he had a different mindset from Ron. Unlike the Weasel, Draco had connections, and he could ruin Astoria publicly, which would be a more terrible blow to her than any other assault.

The men had forgotten Hermione, though, and how she was more than capable of taking care of herself and fighting her own battles.

"I'm a mudblood and _proud_ of it, Greengrass. I'm proof that no matter how 'pure' someone's blood is, it doesn't mean they're not ignorant pigs," Hermione said calmly, arching an eyebrow as if daring anyone to argue.

Astoria wasn't used to being attacked verbally, and to her face at that. She didn't know how to handle it. She looked to Draco to defend her, but there was no help there. Instead, the young Malfoy was smiling in an approving manner. Astoria couldn't believe what was happening.

Ron, taking advantage of Astoria's silence, drew Hermione aside and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. He would always love it when she stood up for herself like that; it proved everyone who ever doubted her wrong. He felt bad that he had acted the way he had, and when he and Hermione broke apart, Ron apologized.

"I'm sorry. It really is brilliant, and I'm very proud of you," he told her quietly with a shy smile.

Hermione kissed Ron's nose, and he took that as her accepting his apology, neither of them remembering that Draco and Astoria were watching.

"If there's one thing those two do right, it's making up," Astoria said in as innocent a tone she could manage.

"Don't even try," came the cold reply. Draco was a bit disconcerted – Weasley and Hermione had practically jumped each other. Had they no shame? Or at least respect for others? Draco didn't particularly care for public displays of affection; he never had, which had made Astoria's attempts at a relationship seem worse in his eyes. He didn't like it when he was in the relationship himself, but when others were, it was too awkward for him.

_Now what brought that around again…?_ Hermione wondered internally. Then she looked over her shoulder and saw Draco and Astoria, and promptly blushed. She wasn't embarrassed about showing that she loved Ron. What embarrassed her was that a person she barely knew had seen something so personal.

Hermione didn't pull out of Ron's embrace. She simply turned around so her back was pressed against his chest, and did her best to remain dignified.

"I'm sure Draco has made this quite clear already, but if you haven't noticed, he doesn't care for you in the way you want him to. And frankly, I don't believe you truly care about him either. You're either doing this because you parents want you to, or you think it will give you the best future. If you actually like Draco for himself, you'd do a better job about bringing him to feel the same," Hermione said matter-of-factly, her little speech directed towards Astoria.

"I _do_ care about Draco!" Astoria responded with wide green eyes. Either she was an extraordinary actress, or she was telling the truth.

"Then you should prove that soon, else he'll find someone who treats him the way he deserves to be treated." Hermione nodded at Draco and smiled. "I'll see you later. Goodbye Draco." She covered Ron's hand with her own and apparated back to the Burrow, hoping that Draco and Astoria would sort out their differences.

Draco couldn't believe that Hermione had left him with Astoria. She had winked at him before she vanished into thin air with that Weasel of hers, and he was trying to figure out what that had meant. For once, Astoria reached the right conclusion ahead of Draco.

"Listen, Draco, please, just for a few minutes. That girl – that – the Muggleborn – she was right, and we do need to talk about all of this, and not only because my parents want this for us. I honestly do care about you, and I think we could learn to love each other once we get married," Astoria said, almost pleadingly. "Won't you just give me a chance?" It was taking all of her willpower to beg like that. Purebloods simply didn't ask for anything in that matter. It was beneath them, and Astoria was as proud as they came.

_For the love of Merlin, I think she's not spinning lies for once_, Draco thought, more than a little amazed. He knew how much of an effort Astoria was making to reach out to him. He sighed, and wished he hadn't changed for the better after the Battle of Hogwarts.

"One date, Astoria. You have one date to convince me. You've already gotten me to give you a second chance, so make the most of it."

* * *

><p>AN: Again, sorry this took so long. I started this four days ago, and then I kept getting interrupted. Remind me to not use my mother's laptop for writing, because she always kicks me off. Go check out kitcat234's work, and Wizard-Pupil's - she has a new story up and it's funny and creative, and, well, brilliant. Thanks for reading!

See that little blue button down there? Click it ;D


	7. Chapter Seven

November 1st, 2011

A/N: From now on, the story will include more about Draco and Astoria. I find her fascinating to write, and them together is rather entertaining as well. Tell me what you guys think about this, because I do take my readers' opinions into account, since all of you mean the world to me. Should Ron end up with Astoria, after the whole blow-up happens? I am considering putting him with Lavender, but let me know how you feel about both options. Thanks again to the wonderful Cat for beta reading this (:

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Seven

Draco closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair at St. Mungo's. It was the day before Hermione's birthday, and he didn't know what to get her, but that wasn't the worst of his troubles. Ever since he had told Astoria he would give her a second chance, she hadn't left him alone. It had taken a threat from Draco and some amount of persuading from Hermione to convince Astoria that Draco did indeed need breathing space.

"Healer Malfoy? There's a woman here to see you," the current receptionist said, lingering in the doorway. Normally it would have been Cassie delivering the message, but her mother had fallen in ill and there was no one else to take care of her.

"What does she look like?" Draco asked, fearing that it was Astoria. He couldn't deal with her then, after he had handled so many emergencies in just a few hours.

"She has brown hair and is rather pretty," the girl told Draco. Sensing that he no longer had any interest in her, she frowned and went back to her post.

_Oh bollocks_, Draco thought. _I suppose it's now or never._ He sighed, resigned, and walked out of the cocoon of safety and privacy that was his office. He mentally squared his shoulders, thinking it would seem odd if he did so physically, and prepared to face the worst.

"Hey," a feminine voice said, sounding as if the person speaking was smiling. "Are you free to go to lunch?"

Hermione had headed towards Draco's office once Lila, the receptionist, pointed her in the right direction, and ended up passing the man himself.

Draco wasn't sure if the woman who spoke was talking to him or someone near him, but he glanced at her just to make sure. His visitor wasn't Astoria, in fact, it was Hermione. That didn't make her any less beautiful.

_Bloody hell Draco, where did that come from?_ One voice asked. Another replied with, _You've always found her attractive. You just wouldn't admit it until you went back for your seventh year._ Draco wished his mind would shut up.

"Yeah, I'm free. Are you sure you are?" Draco asked. Hermione's daycare had opened on Wednesday, and it was Friday now. It had been hectic the first day, children running around everywhere while their parents all tried to talk to Hermione and Gina at one time. All of the Weasleys had turned out to help, and that included Harry, Neville, and Luna. George and Fred had even closed their store for a few hours so they could lend Hermione a hand.

Hermione nodded and brushed away the bangs that had fallen into her eyes. "Ginny didn't have practice today, so she decided to stop by and relieve me from taking care of the little monsters," she said, grinning. "But only for a little while."

Draco stifled his surprise. Why wasn't Hermione spending her free time with her boyfriend, if her daycare was so demanding?

As if reading his mind, Hermione continued. "I've told you before that I don't like pulling Ron away from work, and he's so caught up in all of the paperwork that comes with being a new Auror. He doesn't even go out to lunch anymore, he's so busy."

"Hmm, well okay." It wasn't Draco's place to judge Ron Weasley, although he certainly thought that the man could go out of his way to attend to Hermione more. Every single one of them had gone through a lot since the war, but Hermione had done the most by far – she even outshone Potter – and she deserved the best, even if she was a Muggleborn. No, especially because she was one.

"Come on then." Hermione took hold of Draco's arm and led him out of the hospital, keeping up an endless stream of chatter as they walked to a café that was Hermione's personal favorite.

Hermione hadn't let go of Draco, so when they were walking down the streets of London, the two seemed like they were a couple to any strangers went by. The pale blonde had a big smile spread out across his laughing face, and the woman with the curls kept her eyes on the man at all times.

"Oh, young love," an elderly grandmother said to her husband, smiling. He chuckled and patted her arm, while Hermione and Draco blushed and stuttered.

Hermione dropped Draco's arm like it burned, and attempted to hide her red face behind her curtain of hair. Draco rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, not knowing how he felt about the older woman's assumption.

Admittedly, he had fancied Hermione for a little while during their time at Hogwarts. How could he not? She was smart and had some snappy comebacks saved up, and she didn't hurt the eyes when one looked at her either. But Hermione was dating someone else, and Draco wasn't a schoolboy anymore.

"Why wasn't Cassie there today?" Hermione asked, trying for conversation.

"Her mum's fallen ill," Draco said, smiling sadly. "Cassie's the only one who can take care of her right now."

"Oh, poor Cassie…" Hermione had dropped by St. Mungo's so often that Cassie had come to know her and like her, much better than Astoria, who bothered Draco whenever she had time to spare, which was a lot.

"Yeah, and she's refusing anyone else's help," Draco told Hermione, having been the first to offer assistance to his younger coworker.

Hermione's smile seemed to mimic Draco's own as they sat down at an empty booth near the entrance to the café. They were both at ease when they were around each other, but they hadn't gotten used to living in peace quite yet. Years of reading about Death Eater attacks and witnessing some themselves had changed them forever, and nothing could reverse the effects of Voldemort's reign.

"On to lighter topics…what are you planning to do tomorrow?" Draco asked, once they had ordered their meals. He raked a hand through his hair, trying to come up with something to give Hermione even as he talked to her.

Hermione worried her bottom lip, then shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "I honestly don't know. Molly is bound to do something that will blow my mind, and no doubt there will be a few pranks involved with the help of the twins." She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, wondering what the outcome of her most recent decision would be.

_Oh, come on, Hermione. Live in the moment. That's what Harry and Ginny are always trying to get you to do, right? What better time to actually listen to their advice than now?_

"Draco, would you mind coming to the Burrow for my birthday?"

* * *

><p><em>For the love of Merlin, what is that wretched sound?<em> Hermione thought, rubbing her eyes and sitting up, her sheets falling off as she did so, revealing one of Ron's shirts and pajama pants. When she focused on the person – or rather, several people – who had gathered in Ginny's room, she smiled ruefully.

"That's certainly one way to wake someone up," Hermione remarked mildly. Her ears hadn't stopped ringing from the firecracker Fred had set off, and there probably wasn't any spell to fix that, either.

"Happy birthday, Hermione." Harry was the first to say this, and he drew the sleepy witch into a hug. Harry had never been one for words, so he tried to show what he was feeling with his eyes, but sometimes that didn't work. It was a good thing he had prepared a card.

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said, smiling softly.

Just as she was turning to ask the others how they had crept into the room without her noticing, strong arms enveloped her waist and lifted her off of the ground.

"Happy birthday Hermione!" the twins chimed. Hermione wasn't sure which one had picked her up – she suspected it was George – but she was laughing, because she was ticklish and Fred and George, who both knew it was so, took advantage of that whenever they could.

"George-Fred-whichever one you are, put me down!" she exclaimed, her eyes bright and merry.

Hermione barely had time to right her footing before she was wrapped in yet another person's embrace. This time she recognized who it was, without having to look at their face.

"Happy birthday," Ron said quietly, kissing the top of Hermione's head. Hermione smiled, though none could see she was, and let Ron's familiar smell wash over her. It was the same as it had been in their sixth year, when she was exposed to Amortentia for the first time.

"Thank you," Hermione whispered. Ron tipped her head up with a finger and started leaning forward, but Fred interrupted.

"Not so fast, there are innocent children present!"

"Like who?" Harry asked him, arching an eyebrow in amusement.

Fred didn't falter. Instead, he beamed. "Me and Georgie, of course."

"Innocent children my arse…" No one was sure who made that comment, but it caused all of them to laugh, including the twins.

More well-wishing was passed around, and then Molly ushered them into the backyard, where she had laid out a sumptuous feast that made the mouths of the men water. To Hermione's delight, Luna, Neville and Gina arrived not long after the Weasleys came out of the Burrow, and Draco soon after them.

Draco was slightly afraid of his reception – no, he was downright terrified. He had made plenty of jokes about the Weasel clan, but he had to admit they had some fierce fighters. There was one brother who handled dragons in Romania, another who went out on all sorts of journeys for Gringotts, if Draco had his facts right, and he was sure that all of them played Quidditch at some point in their lives. Not to mention that every single one of them was fiercely protective of Hermione and wouldn't hesitate to shed blood on her behalf.

"Hi! Come on and sit down," Hermione said, apparently oblivious to the tension that filled the air. She was, in truth, acutely aware of it, but she hoped that once the witches and wizards present saw how different Draco was, they would accept him like she had.

Draco sat awkwardly, in between Luna and Hermione, since that was the only seat available. He didn't mind it, though. If anything, he preferred it, for the two women were the least likely to hex him into oblivion.

Harry was talking to Ginny, and wasn't paying Draco much attention, although Ginny kept sneaking looks at him. Fred and George glared at Draco for a moment before they realized Hermione did trust him, and then they began to eat. Ron pointedly ignored the one who wasn't an honorary Weasley, while the others attempted to act civil.

_Oh, dear, well this isn't going as well as I wanted…_ Hermione sighed, as quietly as she could. She was biting her lip again – she always did it when she was worried or deep in thought, although she didn't notice – and found that she couldn't come up with any way to make the situation less awkward.

"Hermione?" Draco was speaking quietly, so Hermione had to lean closer to him to hear what he said next. "I think it would be best if I left. I'm sorry, but you shouldn't be spending your birthday trying to make things better for other people."

_Bollocks, this is the one time I would have preferred it if Draco didn't know me so well. _

"Draco, honestly, you don't have to leave," Hermione said. Perhaps she was being selfish, because Draco certainly wasn't having a good time, but she wanted to talk to him at least for a little bit on the day she became old enough to drink alcohol in the Muggle world.

"I'll make it up to you somehow," Draco promised. Most of the people were ignoring him, so it was the perfect time to slip out unnoticed. He quickly walked a little ways away and disapparated, materializing in his empty, cold apartment in Diagon Alley, which was as different from the place he had just left as could be.

* * *

><p>For the rest of the day, Hermione continued to uncover little surprises wherever she went. Every time, she knew who they were from. First she found a bouquet of beautiful flowers, all dyed purple, on her pillow, and then there was a new copy of Hogwarts: A History embellished in gold, and so much more. Hermione wasn't used to such lavish gifts, but they were courtesy of Draco Malfoy, so what else could she expect?<p>

Around noon, Hermione was sitting by the pond in the back of the Burrow by herself, content to be alone for a bit. She had taken a book with her because she had been planning to stay there for a while, but apparently Draco had other plans.

His owl dropped a note onto her lap and left without waiting for any sort of treat or reply. Puzzled, Hermione read what it said.

_Hermione, _

_I'm sorry I left in the middle of everything. Care to go to lunch at The Three Broomsticks? I have one more present to give you, but it should be in person._

_-DM_

Hermione shook her head with a smile on her face. Draco definitely went all out when it came to giving presents. She thought what he had given her so far was more than enough, but of course he had to add another thing.

She got to her feet and went back inside her one true home to tell everyone she was going out for a bit.

* * *

><p>"Hermione, it's been a while, hasn't it? It's so wonderful to see you," Madam Rosmerta said upon seeing the curly-haired witch walk into her pub.<p>

They exchanged pleasantries, and news, as Madam Rosmerta led Hermione to a booth in the back.

"I dare say he wants to make an entrance," the older woman added before she left Hermione to wonder why Draco would 'want to make an entrance.'

Hermione drummed her fingers on the table in front of her, sipped at her butterbeer, and Draco still did not appear, which was strange because he was the one who had asked her to go to lunch. She decided she would give him five more minutes, and if he didn't arrive by then, she would leave.

"I know you might be mad at me for being late, but Crookshanks is an awfully stubborn cat when he wants to be," Draco gasped. He had scratch marks all over his face and arms, but he was grinning.

Eyes beginning to water, Hermione watched as Crookshanks, her Crookshanks, delicately stepped onto her lap.

"But how…how did you know where to find him?" she asked, biting the inside of her cheek so she wouldn't cry about something so silly. Hermione had left Crookshanks with her parents before she went on the horcrux hunt with Harry and Ron, and she hadn't been able to bear going back to retrieve him because of her mother and father.

"Well, the Weaselette knew where he was, and once I told her what I was planning, she gave me the address."

"Thank you, Draco," Hermione said quietly, smiling at him as she hugged Crookshanks close to her.

The cat purred and became perfectly sweet and cooperative when he was with his true owner. _You two-faced arse…_ Draco thought, but it had been worth the pain to see how happy Hermione was.

And then she hit his arm from across the table.

"I can't believe you went through all of this trouble just for me! First the flowers, then the book, and then the jewelry, and now Crookshanks! How am I ever going to be able to repay you?"

"Hermione, really. You don't need to repay me for any of this. Think of it all as a big thank you for showing me some kindness this past month, if it makes you feel better," Draco said, rubbing his throbbing arm. Now he remembered why he respected Hermione after their third year. That was the time he found out how strong she really was, despite her small stature.

Someone stopped by to take their order, and once that was out of the way, Draco noticed something glistening around Hermione's neck. She was wearing his necklace.

It was simple, not plain. It was pretty, but not gaudy or flashy. Draco had chosen it to match Hermione exactly. The pendant was of a silver otter, its nose touching its tail, encircling a sapphire, her birth stone.

Ron hadn't gotten her anything like that, but that was alright. What wasn't alright was that, the exception being that morning, he hadn't acknowledged her birthday at all. Ron avoided Hermione every time she tried to approach him, just to speak with him, and usually used Harry or Ginny as a decoy. Hermione had given up at eleven o' clock. She wouldn't waste the day chasing after someone who didn't want to be chased, when the rest of the people she cared about were there to cheer her up.

* * *

><p>"Ron, she's coming!" Harry said, taking Ginny by the hand and leading her to her room so Ron was in the living room alone.<p>

When Hermione saw who was there, she didn't say anything. She had stayed out with Draco longer than she had intended, but it wasn't even dark when she got back to the Burrow. She placed Crookshanks on the window seat and settled down next to him.

"Hermione, Ginny wants to see you in her room." That was Harry, as he walked into the kitchen.

Hermione got up and went to see what her friend wanted as Ron watched on.

Upon opening the door, Hermione was convinced that Ginny had been kidnapped by Death Eaters and an ambush had been set up, and that that was why she was being blindfolded and her wand was taken away. It was indeed an ambush, just not the kind that involved Voldemort's minions.

"For Merlin's sake, Hermione, hold still!" Ginny snapped.

"I told you she wouldn't react well," Luna said calmly as she sat Hermione down on Ginny's bed.

"What on earth are you two doing?" Hermione asked once the blindfold was removed. "And why did you need to take my wand?"

"Because we're going to be doing your makeup and we don't want you ruining it. You need to be dolled up so Ron can take you out tonight."

"Luna! It was supposed to be a surprise!"

"She would have found out eventually."

"Yes, but that's not the point. Oh, never mind. She might cooperate better if she knows what's going on."

Hermione frowned, but she allowed Ginny and Luna to do what they liked with her. She had no idea what Ron was planning, and she hoped her getting 'dolled up' wasn't necessary. Hermione disliked going to fancy places, because they made her feel awkward, especially if they weren't Muggle. Any time she and Ron had gone out before in the wizard world, paparazzi always spoiled the evening.

When Ginny was finally done fussing, and Luna evaluating, Hermione took a good look at herself in the mirror. She was wearing tighter jeans than she normally wore, but she also had on an old faded sweater she loved, and Ginny had managed to tame her hair a bit more. Hermione noticed no big difference, so she didn't hex either of her friends when she got her wand back and was sent outside.

At first Hermione didn't know where she was supposed to go. Was Ron going to pop up suddenly, or did she have to find her own way?

Then she saw the rose petals forming a path to the pond, the place she had been only a few hours before. Hermione smiled slightly and let them lead her.

The sun was just setting. Ron had timed everything perfectly, which was strange because he wasn't very good at planning. Hermione realized how much of an effort he had made to get the picnic in front of her ready, and promptly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Happy birthday 'Mione."

* * *

><p>AN: I hope you guys liked this xD Cat emailed me with her comments, and they were so funny I almost wanted to include them in parentheses or something. She's probably the best beta ever. How many of you thought Draco's last present was going to be a kiss? Because I really want to know. Anyway, sorry it's taken so long, but the big blow-up is going to happen soon, like, in the next chapter, and Draco will be there for Hermione cause he's awesome like that :) I will leave you all hanging in anticipation.

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	8. Chapter Eight

A/N: Sorry if this took a little longer than expected, but that's because I tutor a nine year old on Tuesdays and Thursdays and don't have much time to write on those days. Anyway, this is a jam-packed chapter…I thought of what would happen in the car, and I freaked out because I didn't have anything to write or type with. You guys are lucky I remembered. Don't forget to leave a review, and please take the time to go to my profile and vote for which story is your favorite so far. Thanks again to Cat! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Eight

A month passed, and Halloween was approaching fast. Hermione was worried about Harry, but she liked the holiday as well. This year's October 31st would be the tenth anniversary of the day she became friends with Harry and Ron, and that was certainly something to celebrate.

Hermione was trying to figure out just how to recognize the anniversary. Harry wouldn't want too big of a fuss – he wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible, although he would never truly be off the Daily Prophet's radar. Ron probably wouldn't mind either way, but Hermione had to consider Harry and the others as well.

The tapping on the window was starting to get familiar. Hermione turned and, as expected, Draco's owl was outside with another message for her.

"Now what is it this time?" she asked herself with a small smile. She unrolled the bit of parchment and read.

_Hermione,_

_Do I really need to sign these anymore? Anyways, if you can come, I'll be at the usual place at 12:30. _

_(Just in case) -DM_

Hermione chuckled quietly and finished filling out a paper for a new student of hers before she went to find Gina. She was rising from her seat at the front desk when the door opened. All of the children were accounted for, so no one should have been entering at that time. Frowning, Hermione sat again.

"Is this the daycare for kids of witches and wizards?"

"Well, yes, but you should be more careful about what you say because sometimes Muggles come in and…" Hermione glanced up and her eyes widened in shock. "Blaise Zabini?"

"You sound so surprised, Ms. Granger," said Blaise, smiling. He had never been one of the worst Slytherins, and time had changed him, the way it had changed Draco.

"I didn't know you had a child."

Blaise rolled his eyes, but he didn't seem irritated or indignant, the way Hermione had thought he might.

"I admittedly made some stupid choices while we were going to school, but knocking some chit up was not one of them. This is my sister's kid Zane."

"It's very nice to meet you Zane," Hermione said as the little boy stepped forward. He had to be no older than six, and he hardly looked like his uncle. He had fair skin, big blue eyes and light brown hair. In short, he didn't seem like he could even be related to Blaise.

"So do I check in with you?"

"Yes. Here are some papers for you to fill out…and then you can either pay for an entire year at one time, or pay a little each month," Hermione told Blaise, handing him a clipboard and pen.

"And you started this all on your own?" Blaise asked. Hermione had to wonder how he got this information.

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and shrugged. "With some help, Gina and I opened this place, yes." Hermione glanced at her watch and hollered for Gina, who usually took care of their students during lunch.

"What in the world are you shouting about?" The other woman rubbed her temples with her index fingers and glared at Hermione. "You do realize the kids can hear you, right? They were all wondering what was wrong."

Hermione waved her hand dismissively. "I have to go. Will you be alright on your own for a bit?"

"I'll be fine, Hermione. Now go. I know you're meeting Draco," Gina said, grinning wickedly. She had nothing against Ron, but she tended to lean towards Draco a little more.

Gina's eyes traveled from her coworker to Blaise, and her eyebrows lifted to her hairline. She looked at Hermione again, her entire being saying, _Okay, you have Draco and Ron. Can I have this one?_

Hermione snorted and turned away so Blaise wouldn't notice. But he did hear about her meeting with Draco.

"You're friends with him now?"

"Yes, actually," Hermione replied, lifting her chin up a notch. She wouldn't be extraordinarily surprised if Blaise was disbelieving about her having a friendly relationship with Draco. However decent he might be, Blaise was still one of the people who had made her life miserable while they were all at Hogwarts.

"You'll be good for him," Blaise said.

Hermione faltered. "Oh, alright then. I'd better go. I'll leave you two to sort things out. Gina will help you with anything." Still puzzled, she left the daycare and made sure no one was around, then apparated to an alley near the Muggle café, her and Draco's regular haunt.

Blaise had been polite. And he thought Hermione would be good for Draco. What did that mean?

Draco was kinder than he was previously. He knew more about Muggle technology and the world beyond the life of a sort of sheltered pureblood, which was more than Ron. Even if he didn't care about blood status, Ron was as ignorant as Draco had been, in a way.

Hermione glanced around the café and spotted a shock of pale blonde hair, and walked towards it.

"Hi," she said, sitting down across from Draco.

Draco nodded at her, obviously quite distracted. Hermione's eyebrows furrowed together, and she turned to see what Draco was looking at.

At first, Hermione was completely lost. Why was Draco taking such an interest in a couple having a splendid time two tables away? She was just going to ask him when she saw that the man had red hair.

_Is that George? Fred, Percy, or Charlie? No, it can't be because it's-_

Ron.

Hermione's eyes nearly bugged out of her head – at least, that's what Draco told her when she asked later on in the day.

"Hermione, are you…?" Draco trailed off, afraid that Hermione's emotions, whether they were rage and sadness, or just one of the two, would turn on him. He was a Slytherin, not a Gryffindor, and Hermione scared him when she was mad.

"I'm fine."

Even the daftest bloke could see that she wasn't. Hermione wasn't really one for crying, but Ron could break her down to that point, and Draco feared that he was seeing tears struggling to emerge.

"But…I think I'm going to go talk to him. Just talk," Hermione added when she saw Draco rise from his seat.

Draco shook his head stubbornly. "No, Hermione. If you're going to go over there, I'm going with you, if only to stop you from having a murder on your hands."

Hermione didn't like the idea, but she couldn't do much when Draco was in that mode of his, with that determination that could match the Chosen One, Harry Potter. She shrugged and walked over to her boyfriend, or soon to be ex-boyfriend, rather, unless Ron had a very good excuse for her not to kill him.

_Oh, and he's cheating on me with Lavender Brown, no less! That's just the icing on top of the cake,_ Hermione thought dryly. She wasn't too upset. Disappointed and angry, maybe, but not devastated. She supposed that some part of her had suspected that Ron wasn't being entirely faithful, at one point. After all, he put food in front of everything, and suddenly he had stopped going to lunch with her. Now Hermione saw why.

"Ronald."

"Bloody-Hermione?"

"Who else do you know that calls you Ronald, aside from your mother?"

All color had drained from Ron's face. Hermione's arms were folded over her chest, and she didn't look like a force to be messed with.

"Hermione, it isn't what it looks like, honest!"

Lavender watched silently, which was the smartest thing she had ever done before, in Hermione's opinion, and Draco's, for that matter. Draco himself was biting down on his cheek, hard, to refrain from adding his own input, which included where Ron could stick his stupid, liar mouth.

"Really, Ron? Because it looks like you're cheating on me," Hermione said coldly. She looked at Lavender, who, to her credit, did not cringe, and Hermione's expression softened a bit. It wasn't Lavender's fault that Ron didn't know what he wanted.

"I'm sorry…should I…should I leave now?" Lavender asked timidly.

Hermione glanced at Draco, who got her meaning.

"No, Lavender, it's fine. Draco is going to talk to Ronald anyway," Hermione replied, pretending not to notice how panicked Ron appeared, and how calm Lavender seemed in comparison.

Draco looked at Hermione one last time, then led Ron out of the café and into the alley where Hermione apparated, so he could hex him without having to modify some Muggle memories. Meanwhile, Hermione sat down across from Lavender and began talking to the guilt-ridden woman.

"Listen, I really don't blame you. But I think you could do better than Ron. If you haven't noticed, he was sort of cheating on both of us," Hermione started, her tone matter-of-fact.

"Hermione, Ron loves you," Lavender said sadly. "He just…I don't know. He was using me for fun without any consequences. I'll back off, if you want. Stay away from you both."

"Oh, Lavender, it's not your fault," Hermione told her. "You can have Ron, but I doubt you'll want him after this."

Lavender traced the patterns on the table between them. "I still care about him. Maybe I can make him a better person. I should go now. Bye Hermione."

Hermione said goodbye to Lavender, who promptly left. Draco, seeing that the conversation was over, went back to Hermione with Ron in tow.

"'Mione, please, hear me out-"

"Ron, don't," Hermione said softly. She felt betrayed, by the one person who should have always stayed by her side.

Draco reached over and squeezed Hermione's shoulder. He wasn't good at being the comforting friend, the one who had the shoulder to cry on. But he would try his best for Hermione, the girl who Weasel would be lucky to talk to ever again.

Hermione took a sudden interest in her hands, which were clasped on her lap. She appreciated the effort it must have taken Draco to do what he did, but it seemed that when Lavender left, her strength and resolve had as well.

"Go, Weasley. And you best not show your face for a while."

Ron hesitated. He wanted to discuss things with Hermione, try to win her over again, and he wanted to beat Malfoy up too, for interfering in his business. But Hermione looked so disheartened that Ron had to walk away. He wasn't Harry. He didn't know how to deal with everything that was thrown at him, with perfect ease.

"Hermione?"

She patted Draco's hand, still on her shoulder. "Like I said, I'm alright. But that conversation with Lavender had to be the oddest thing I have ever experienced. We were never really nice to each other in school, and now we have something in common. We both got our hearts broken by Ron, not once, but twice."

"Well, at least you've never had to have 'the talk' with a house-elf before," Draco commented. Lunch forgotten, they headed back to Hermione and Gina's daycare. Neither was hungry anymore anyway.

"You're kidding," Hermione said, torn between laughing and being absolutely horrified. She ended up doing the former.

"I'm completely serious. I've actually had to do that. It had to be the worst experience in my entire life."

Hermione snorted and looked around to see how far they were from her daycare.

"It's strange. I just found out that my boyfriend was cheating on me, and here I am laughing about someone explaining the birds and the bees to a house-elf…"

Draco smiled at her. "That's a good thing, isn't it? It shows you don't dwell on the bad things in life." He didn't know why she used a term like "the birds and the bees", but Draco figured it was a Muggle thing, and he knew what Hermione meant.

Despite what he might think, Hermione thought that Draco was a great friend and was very good at cheering people up. Up until the time they reached the cottage-like building that was Mini Hogwarts, he kept her laughing, and he wouldn't have stopped, had he not seen Blaise with Gina.

"What the hell?" Draco said out loud.

Hermione grinned and grabbed Draco's hand, because he had stopped in the middle of the path leading up to the daycare.

"Come on, now. It's not such a big deal. At least they're not snogging," she pointed out, dragging Draco up to Gina and Blaise.

Draco looked even more shocked to hear that, but Hermione just chuckled and made him walk up to the entrance of the building. Gina and Blaise were certainly not latched on to each other…yet. In both Hermione's opinion and Draco's.

"Hi, Hermione! You're back awfully early," Gina remarked when she saw her friend. She blinked when Draco stepped up to Hermione's side. She had heard a lot about him, but she had never met him in person. Hermione had neglected to mention a few important details, like the fact that Draco was one of the sexiest men alive.

"Oh, something came up and…yeah…" Hermione finished weakly. She would let Gina know what happened later, because aside from Draco, she was Hermione's best friend. They were the two people who would choose sides, if they were told the right things.

Gina's eyebrows rose. She could only guess that the unhappy look on Hermione's face was because of someone close enough to her to actually have an effect on her, so it had to be one of the Weasleys, honorary or not, or Draco.

Blaise was keenly aware of the way Draco studied Hermione, like she was made of glass. In all the years he had known him, Blaise had never seen Draco look that way at anyone.

"Has Zane gotten used to things around here yet?" Hermione asked, remembering why Blaise there in the first place.

"Yeah, Gina's been a big help."

"I'm sure she has been," Draco muttered. Hermione shot him a look and hit his arm, none too lightly, but he could only smile at her.

"I'm sorry I left you here…um…by yourself with Blaise…" Hermione said. "I'll go check on the kids now."

She hadn't asked it of him, but Draco went to help Hermione. He wasn't sure if he was good with children – were they that different from house-elves? – but Hermione had just gone through a lot and he didn't want to let her out of his sight.

"She has got him whipped," Blaise commented once Hermione and Draco were gone.

Gina nodded. "Uh-huh. I wonder how long it'll take for them to realize that."

"Knowing those two? It'll probably be a very long time."

* * *

><p>"Ron? What are you doing out here?" Harry asked when he saw his best mate walking back to his office.<p>

Ron looked like a deer caught in headlights, although he wouldn't have been able to make sense of that simile had Harry said it aloud.

"I-I was in the loo," Ron stammered.

"There's a bathroom right near our offices though," Harry said, frowning. Ron was lying, that much was obvious. The question was, why?

"Oh, well, er, I forgot. So I went to the other one."

"O…kay…" Harry replied slowly. "We'd best get back to that paperwork, then."

"Wait, Harry. I need to tell you something."

And tell him something Ron did. Harry, like Hermione, couldn't get mad at Ron. The worst he could do was give him that look, the one a teacher gave a student who didn't do well on a test, or the way a parent looked at a daughter or son who misbehaved.

"I can't believe you would do that to Hermione."

Ron winced. It was the scene in the café all over again, in his mind.

"It wasn't on purpose, Harry, I swear it."

"Honestly, Ron. You can't exactly cheat on someone on accident," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "And Lavender Brown, really? You didn't learn your lesson the first time, back in sixth year?"

"I suppose not," Ron muttered. "But now Hermione and I are broken up, and I've no idea how to break the news to the family."

"Sorry, mate, but you're screwed."

* * *

><p>AN: This is a little shorter than most of my chapters, but I uploaded it before the weekend! It was a surprise to everyone, I think xD Anyway, go to my profile and vote for whichever story of mine you like the most. I love you all bunches for sticking with me this long, and I hope you can forgive me for putting my other stories on hold!

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	9. Chapter Nine

November 11th, 2011

A/N: I started writing this chapter on one of the most magical days ever (: It's Veteran's Day, and I have no school, and it's 11/11/11. On top of that, the last movie came out today, and our copy of the Lego game, years 5-7, will be arriving shortly. It's put me in a rather good mood, despite the fact that I got a flu shot at eight in the morning. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and thanks again to Cat! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Nine

The next morning, Harry was on his way to the Auror department when a headline in the Daily Prophet caught his eye. He frowned, paid for a copy, and read it as he walked. The more he read, the more shocked he became. It was completely like the Daily Prophet to make a big deal out of something that was none of their business in the first place.

Being the Chosen One had its perks. Harry went straight to Ron's office instead of his own, because no one would bother him about getting his work done.

"Hey, Ron? You know how you were worried about how you would break the news to your parents?" Harry asked, closing the door behind him. He sat down in a chair, adjusting his glasses so he could see Ron's reaction clearly.

"Yes…" Ron said slowly, dreading whatever plan Harry had come up with.

Harry held up the Daily Prophet. "You might not have to. I don't know how she found out, but Rita's already cooked up an entire story about your breakup with Hermione. Or rather, her breakup with you."

Ron paled and snatched the newspaper out of Harry's hand.

_Trouble in Paradise?_

_The entire wizard world is aware that one of the sweetest and hottest couples of the year involves none other than Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age. All seemed perfect, until the other day, when sources witnessed a Lavender Brown, a classmate of the Golden Trio, running out of a Muggle café in tears. _

_Soon after, Ron Weasley himself left, and he didn't look entirely happy either._

_The picture below shows Hermione Granger with Draco Malfoy, former Death Eater and the bad boy of Slytherin house. Could he have something to do with why Hermione Granger seemed so distressed? _

_Believe it or not, that is not true. When the two left the scene, both were smiling, laughing even. Is it possible that there is trouble in paradise? I'm sure we were all expecting a happy ending between Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, but with Draco Malfoy and Lavender Brown getting tangled in the affair, things might not turn out to be like a fairy tale after all._

"Bloody hell," Ron groaned, sinking down in his chair again. "I'd better go tell Mum before she has my head for not telling her. You know she believes this rubbish sometimes, if we don't set her straight."

"Go on, I'll cover for you."

"Thanks, Harry."

Ron apparated, fearing that the Prophet had already reached the Burrow and the response he would get if it had.

"You have some explaining to do," George said mildly when Ron walked into the kitchen. The majority of his family was seated at the table. Ginny glared at him, their father looked on in disappointment, Molly pretending to be busy preparing some meal, and the twins appeared murderous. Even Bill, Fleur and Charlie had come. Percy eventually showed up as well, looking rather disheveled when he stepped out of the floo network.

"I take it you've all seen the paper this morning?" Ron replied, wincing. The others nodded simultaneously, aside from Molly, who was desperately trying to keep from talking, as her emotions would come out full-force if she tried.

"Now talk," Fred ordered, his normally merry eyes narrowed into slits.

For the second time in two days, Ron explained what happened at the Muggle café. Fred kept his hand on his wand the whole time, and by the end of the tale, Bill, Charlie, and Percy were holding the twins and Ginny back.

"I can't believe you would do that to her!" Ginny shouted. "And with Lavender Brown no less! Percy, let me go!"

"Would you all calm down?" Arthur exclaimed, straining to be heard above all of the death threats getting thrown his youngest son's way. When he was certain that Ginny, Fred and George were more or less restrained, he continued. "I know everyone is upset – even I expected that Hermione would marry into the family – but we're still a family, and no one will be killing anyone. Do you understand me?"

Fred and George turned their glares to their father before proceeding to slide down in their chairs. All but Arthur seemed to have forgotten that Molly was in the room as well.

"Ronald," Molly said quietly. Much like her children, her ears were red, betraying subtle hints of anger.

Ron flinched and backed up into a wall as his mother cornered him.

"How dare you hurt Hermione like that," she whispered, her voice quavering. A quiet Molly was nearly as frightening as a raging one. "That girl is like a daughter to me – a member of the family. And you broke her heart."

"Mum-"

"You'll always be my little boy, Ron. But I am not happy with your decisions. Not at all. Never that to any girl ever again or else I will be joining your siblings in making these threats."

* * *

><p>Hermione was surrounded by children, whose ages ranged from eight to ten, since she handled the older ones. She had attempted to teach her students some simple spells – truly, they were all brilliant – but there had been a little mishap and now she had to fix it. One of the nine year olds had ended up on the ceiling.<p>

"Kids, I can't help him if you're all so close to me," Hermione said patiently. Sheepishly, the crowd scooted back a ways.

The boy on the ceiling, whose name was Nathan, reminded her of Neville, in their second year, when he got stuck on a chandelier in Gilderoy Lockhart's classroom. Hermione couldn't rid herself of the thought as she got him down.

"Thanks Miss Hermione," Nathan muttered, red in the face.

Hermione smiled. "It's no trouble at all, Nathan. Now all of you go and help Gina with the younger ones, alright?"

"Okay," the children chimed. Hermione watched them go fondly, then went about cleaning up the dirt from a pot that had gotten smashed somewhere along the way.

She could have done it easily and efficiently, with magic. But Hermione found that doing things the Muggle way was more relaxing for her. It reminded her of her childhood.

What was not relaxing, however, was hearing a voice in her ear that seemed to come out of thin air. Luckily for Draco, Hermione recognized who it was and didn't hex him immediately.

"Are you ready to go to lunch?" Draco asked cheerfully. Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up, brushing her hands off on her jeans as she did so.

"Yes, I've got my kids helping Gina anyway," Hermione said, pulling her hair up into a ponytail so it wouldn't get caught in the necklace she had on, the one Draco had given her.

"Let's go then," Draco said happily, offering his arm to Hermione, who looked at him suspiciously. Draco Malfoy was_ never_ that chipper. Something bad had to have happened. It was the only logical explanation.

Hermione went along with Draco's odd, happy mood anyway. He treated her to lunch, and then proceeded to take her shopping. Hermione did not particularly enjoy shopping, but Draco seemed to believe that was the solution to everything, even if he was male, so she let him drag her from shop to shop.

Because she was awfully stubborn, Hermione didn't offer her input on anything Draco showed her. Finally he gave up and just bought whatever he thought she might like. They went everywhere. Everywhere, that is, except for Diagon Alley.

Eventually, Hermione got fed up with the whole charade. "What are you trying to hide from me?" she asked when they sat down outside of an ice cream shop.

Draco paused, poking his sundae with a spoon. "The Daily Prophet had an article about you and Ron. And it wasn't necessarily _good_."

"Oh, is that it? I don't see why you went out of your way to keep that from me," Hermione said, brushing her hair back away from her face. "Everyone knows the Prophet is rubbish, even if it does tell some of the truth sometimes. So I'm not going to let it bother me."

"Another thing to commend you for, Miss Granger," Draco replied with a small smile. He knew Hermione was very self-conscious, and that made him even more proud of her, if she was going to ignore what Rita Skeeter had written.

"Now do I get to return all of the things you bought me?"

"Of course not. No matter how much I've changed, I'm still a Malfoy."

* * *

><p>'<em>Mione,<em>

_When are you going to be back? I think we should all talk. You, me, and Ron. We need to sort things out. We can leave work as soon as you can._

_Love,_

_Harry_

Hermione hadn't expected an owl to land on the ground in front of her as she and Draco walked back to her daycare. In fact, she had nearly drawn her wand on the poor thing. Draco had been the one to actually stop her.

"Who's that from?" Draco asked as Hermione read the note.

"Harry."

"Should I let you go now?"

Hermione shook her head. "I have to send a reply and tell Gina what's happening. You can come along, if you want. I'd appreciate it if you came back to the Burrow with me," she added, more quietly.

Draco frowned, ever so slightly. "What does Potter want you to do?"

"Talk things out with Ron," Hermione said, shrugging. "Harry doesn't seem to realize that I'm not going to hex Ron into oblivion the first chance I get."

"I don't see why you aren't," Draco replied, holding open the door to the daycare and following Hermione through.

"Ron was my friend before we started dating, Draco. I'm not going to let our failed relationship ruin that. Besides, he's not a bad person. He just doesn't know how to make very good decisions."

Draco snorted. "That's the understatement of the century."

Hermione gave him a chastising look, but she had laughed a bit at what Draco said. As soon as she had a flat surface to write on, Hermione scribbled a sentence on the back of the parchment that had come with Harry's owl, then sent it back to its owner with the message.

Gina came rushing to the front of the building, suspecting that the people who triggered the bell hanging in the entrance were either potential students and their parents or Hermione and Draco. She was a rather accurate guesser, it seemed.

The moment before Gina arrived, though, Hermione tripped – on whatever, it didn't particularly matter. What mattered was that Draco managed to catch her by the waist, and that was what Gina saw when she walked towards them.

She arched an eyebrow. "Should I give you two a moment?"

"For the love of Merlin," Hermione muttered, righting herself, only to stumble again because her shoe had fallen off of her ankle. "No, I'm just having a right awful clumsy day." She took hold of Draco's arm to insure that she did not fall again, and made sure everything was capable of handling contact with other things before she let go of the pale blonde.

"I thought you had those every day."

"That's very funny, Gina. Really," Hermione said dryly. "Anyway, I've been asked to get away if I can, because Harry wants me to go back home to talk. Will you be alright, or should I tell Harry I just can't go?"

Gina mentally counted how many children were in her care at the moment. "I think I'll be fine. They're mostly older ones who know how to handle themselves. Besides, today the kids have stations, and they always mind themselves on these days. Yes, I'll be fine. Go see what Harry wants. If things get hectic, I'll owl Luna or someone else."

"Alright, thank you Gina." Hermione smiled and the sound of her trainers hitting the floor filled the air, until Draco's footsteps joined hers and they got outside again.

When Hermione turned to him questioningly, Draco smirked. "Maybe you've forgotten, but you were the one that requested I come."

"Oh, I suppose that's right. Come on then," Hermione replied, looking flustered. She was rehearsing what she would say to Ron, but she couldn't think of anything that would summarize what she was feeling, thinking, and what she had felt and thought. _Oh, bugger, I'll say whatever jumps into my mind,_ she decided.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, are you sure you want me to come?" Draco asked, taking hold of Hermione's hand as they prepared to apparated.

Hermione glanced at him. "No, but I have to, because I'm not going to spend the rest of my life avoiding Ron and making things awkward for everyone else. And yes," she said. Then she and Draco disappeared with a loud _pop_ and found themselves at the Burrow when they opened their eyes again.

Draco dropped Hermione's hand, which was so small in comparison to his. His eyes swiveled around the room they had appeared in. He had only been to the Weasley home once or twice, but never had he seen a wall covered in posters of the Holyhead Harpies.

"This is Ginny's room," Hermione told Draco by way of explanation.

"Oh, that makes sense."

Hermione thought her friend sounded odd, so she turned to see what he was looking at and noticed that someone had left an article of clothing lying about. She immediately blushed and threw a blanket over the undergarment.

"So, Granger. Shouldn't you go find Potter now?"

"R-Right," Hermione said, noticing that Draco's face was as red as her own. She quickly walked across the room and opened the door, then slipped out and headed for the living room, because the three of them – herself, Ron and Harry - seemed to have their meetings there quite often.

Draco raked a hand through his hair, took a deep breath, and sat down next to Hermione when she took a place on the couch.

Harry and Ron were already sitting, and both were uncomfortable in their own way. Harry disliked getting involved in a row between two other people, because it made him feel like an intruder, and Ron simply didn't want to be there. He would rather stay out of Hermione's way, for at least a few months, because surely by then her sense would return and she would understand that he was not to blame for anything.

Despite the fact that Ron would have preferred to shrink into his chair, he couldn't help but exclaim, "What's he doing here?"

"Who, Draco?" Hermione asked to clarify. Ron nodded, so she continued. "He's here because he's my friend, and he won't let me do something I might regret."

Her tone was so calm, so matter-of-fact, that Ron suddenly remembered their years at Hogwarts, when he thought Hermione was crazy. Perhaps he had been right.

"That's probably a good idea," Harry said, which promptly made Ron stare at him in disbelief.

"You seriously think that we should let _Malfoy_ be a part of this conversation?"

"Well, if you'd rather we let you and Hermione talk things out on your own…"

Ron flinched slightly. "Er, never mind. He can stay."

"Why thank you for your approval, Weasley," Draco drawled, relaxing against the couch. "I'm so pleased that you've allowed me to hear what you have to say out of your fear for your ex-girlfriend."

"Draco, please. If you're going to be here don't say things like that," Hermione scolded, but the fact that Harry had chuckled quietly was not missed by her or Draco.

"Alright, alright, I'll behave."

Ron's mood got worse the longer he listened to Hermione and Draco interact. They had been broken up for a few days and she had already moved on. Granted, he had already been dating Lavender Brown, and he still was, but Hermione had chosen the _ferret_ of all people. This was not right in any way. Somehow, Ron would win Hermione back. She was his first, and if he could get her once, he could get her again. Probably.

"Are you all going to sit here or are you going to get some problems solved?" Draco asked, breaking the silence that had fallen.

"Oh, right," Harry said sheepishly. He fiddled with his glasses – took them off, polished them, put them back on – and gestured for Ron to speak first.

"Hermione, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you, and I still love you." Draco rolled his eyes, but he restrained himself for adding his input as Ron continued to talk. "You're my whole world, and Lavender can't even compare to you. If you'd just give me another chance I'm sure we could work things out."

"Ron, for Christ's sake, do you know what that would do to Lavender? She's really not such a bad person, and this is the second time you've gotten hold of her heart and broken it into pieces. I'm not going to give you another chance to be anything more than a friend to me, because Lavender deserves to be happy and you're going to be the one to make her so. Do you understand me?" Hermione responded, her body not quite tense, but her eyes resembling a storm.

"No, I can't say I do understand you, Hermione. But I'll do as you say, because once you see how much of a git that ferret sitting next to you still is, you'll know that I was right all along."

Hermione should have been upset. But instead, she chose that moment to mentally laugh at the fact that Ron and Draco each had animal names for each other.

* * *

><p>AN: It is the day before my father's birthday, and since most of you will see this tomorrow, happy birthday Dad! I love you, and I hope you'll be in my life for a long time :) I'm working on chapter ten right now, so we'll see if I can get it up in time for my dad's special day.

Oh! One more thing. I'm changing the title of this story to Expertise in Pyrotechnics, so don't freak later. Just a heads up :)

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	10. Chapter Ten

November 18th, 2011

A/N: Hey guys, it's me again! (: Can you believe it's chapter ten already? I know I'm not always the most frequent updater, but I love all of you who have stuck with me from the very beginning. There's gonna be a sequel to this story, about Rose and Scorpius, and I'm just gonna tell you one thing: Rose is still Ron's daughter. She's just not Hermione's. Another thanks to the ah-MAZING Cat!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Ten

Draco's knuckles were white due to the fact that he was clenching the arm rest on the couch so hard. Hermione watched him with the kind of concern she would have shown Harry, which was remarkable because only a few months ago, she hated Draco Malfoy with a burning passion.

Hermione knew that Draco was just a few mere words away from attacking Ron. Even Harry seemed agitated, he who tried his best to never get involved in his best mates' rows. Had Ginny been there, she would have already been at her brother.

"I shouldn't have asked you to come here, 'Mione. I'm sorry," Harry said, without once taking his eyes off of Ron, who was poised to take off the second he was threatened. In truth, he was more scared of Hermione than both Harry and Draco combined.

"Harry," Hermione's voice was much softer as she placed a hand on Harry's arm, "it's okay. Truly. I think this was good for all of us. Helped us see how different we've all become. Well, maybe not you, but definitely Ronald and me. I think…I think I'm going to go now. Draco?"

Draco figured that Hermione wanted clarification that he wasn't about to pummel her ex-boyfriend. He heaved an over-dramatic sigh and turned pleading eyes to the war heroine, as if he were asking her, _Can't I punch him at least once?_ Hermione shook her head with a slight smile, and Harry watched all the while.

"Bye Harry. Thank you for trying," Hermione said, standing up and hugging the raven-haired boy – or rather, man.

"Not a problem. I just wish more good had come out of this."

"Oh Harry…it's not your fault. And I think some good did come out of all this. It made me realize that I will be alright without being involved with Ron," Hermione told Harry quietly. "I'll be back later, okay? I can't stay here for much longer. As much as I'm alright with everything, I don't want to face the others quite yet. Especially Gin."

"Understandable," Harry remarked mildly. "She can be a bit…frightening, sometimes."

"That's the understatement of the century," Hermione said, laughing as she mimicked what Draco had told her previously.

"You'll call or owl if you need anything?" Harry asked, growing more serious and not letting go of Hermione.

"Yes, Harry, I promise. But I've got to go, alright? There are far too many elephants in this room, and there have been the moment I walked in."

Hermione and her Muggle talk. She was lucky Harry understood it, else he would have thought she meant that as an insult to Ron and maybe even himself.

"Right then…we'd better go make sure Blaise and Gina aren't doing anything too inappropriate in front of the kids. It was definitely interesting to see you again, Potter," Draco said, holding his hand out to Harry once he had released Hermione from their incredibly long-lasting hug.

"I dunno if it'll ever be normal to me, seeing you at the Burrow. Take good care of Hermione for me, yeah?" Harry replied, shaking Draco's hand.

"I don't think she needs anyone taking care of her aside from herself, but I'll try my best."

"That's all I'm asking."

Harry's unspoken approval of Draco and the fact that he trusted the former Slytherin with Hermione meant more to her than most would have thought. The two men were both major parts of her life, and she hadn't been sure how she would have handled them not getting along. The fact that Ron was saying nothing was only a small problem for Hermione.

Draco held out his arm for Hermione with mock gallantry, causing her to laugh again as she slipped her arm through his. She looked at Ron one last time, then felt that twisting sensation she always got when she apparated.

"That went better than I actually expected," Hermione admitted once she could stand without feeling a bit dizzy.

"Honestly? I think that could have gone much better if Weaselbee cooperated," Draco said as Gina came to see who had appeared in the front room of the daycare.

"I didn't expect you to be back for a while. How did it go?" Gina asked, glancing over her shoulder to make sure none of the children were hanging from anywhere in the building.

"Oh, it…went…" Hermione replied vaguely. Gina rolled her eyes.

"You can tell me about it later, if you'd like. Now, do you want to take the rest of the day off? Because I don't want you around the kids if you're going to swear like a sailor any time you do something wrong."

It was Hermione's turn to roll her eyes. "Gina, I'm perfectly capable of being around the kids. If you haven't noticed, I'm not an example of an emotional wreck right now."

"That's very true," Draco interrupted, "but Potter gave me instructions to take care of you, and I assume that means you don't get to work. Not to mention that you look like you're dead on your feet right now."

"Thank you, Draco, because every girl loves to hear that."

"I'm just telling the truth! Besides, you can't deny that you're tired. Gina, doesn't she look tired?"

Gina chuckled. "Yes, Hermione looks like she is tired," she said in the tone she used to placate the five year olds in her care.

"See? Even Gina agrees. Come on, you need to go sleep or something."

"Draco, it may have escaped your notice, but we just left the Burrow for a reason, and that's the place where I'm staying right now."

"You can come to my flat, then. Hermione, please. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but Potter and I agree for once, and it's that you need to be taken care of for just a few days."

Hermione could recognize a battle she would not win easily. It was the logical part of her brain speaking then, though. The stubborn part refused to show any weakness, unless she was with Harry, who could understand her best.

But Draco was concerned about her, and it wasn't fair to him to keep on withdrawing into herself.

"Okay, I'll go with you," Hermione sighed. In truth, she didn't want to be taken care of, but Draco was set on treating her like a piece of fine china. So she didn't pull away when he grabbed her hand, and didn't protest when he apparated for the second time in a few minutes.

If Hermione had any thoughts about what Draco's flat would look like, they were dismissed the moment her eyes focused on the interior design. The walls were a pale blue color that Hermione personally loved, and the entire place was homey and not the least bit what one would have expected of a Malfoy.

"If your mouth opened any more, I dare say a football could fit in it," Draco remarked, smirking as he draped his coat over a chair in his kitchen.

"Did you decorate your flat yourself?" Hermione asked, sitting down at the counter when Draco motioned for her to do so.

"I may be exceptional, but I'm not that exceptional," Draco said, his smirk turning into a grin as he poured some tea for the two of them. "My mother hired someone to help me and I just told them they could do anything they liked as long as it wasn't too dreary."

Hermione glanced around again and smiled before she sipped at her tea. "I like it. It suits you."

Draco arched an eyebrow, leaning against the kitchen island on his palms. "Does it really?"

"Yes, it does. It wouldn't have suited you four years ago, but now it seems like the kind of place you would live in," Hermione replied with a small shrug of her shoulders. She stared into her cup for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Aren't you ever lonely here?"

"Why? Are you offering to move in?" Draco joked.

Hermione rolled her eyes, though she couldn't contain her laughter. "You're horrible. No, I mean, does it ever seem empty?"

Draco thought about it for a moment. "I suppose not. I'm not really here very much. I'm either with you or at the hospital."

Well, that day was full of surprises. Hermione hadn't realized that she spent the majority of her time with Draco, outside of work. In fact, she had spent more time with him than she had with Ronald BEFORE they broke up.

"Do you get called in a lot, for emergencies?"

"I'll put it this way. I'm their Harry in a crowd of Death Eaters," Draco said. "They'd be swamped without me, and I am not exaggerating. Are you hungry?"

"Draco, we just went to lunch."

"Oh, right. When you're ready to nap or whatever, you can use the guest room."

"Alright, thanks," Hermione said, smiling. She hopped off the bar stool she had been sitting on and made her way over to the sink, meaning to wash her cup. It was the least she could do, when Draco was going out of his way to make her comfortable.

Draco's hand reached out and closed around Hermione's wrist. "Oh no, you are not to do anything while you're in my care. Potter implied as much, and I happen to agree that you shouldn't be bothered at all. Now go sleep."

Hermione shook her head a bit in exasperation and hugged Draco tightly. "Thank you for being there for me," she said, her words muffled by the fabric of his shirt. It was the first time she had actually hugged Draco, and it threw their height difference into high definition. Hermione disliked being so short, especially since she was around very tall people quite often.

To say Draco was surprised would not be any stretch of what he was feeling. Before he knew it, Hermione was walking away, and to his bedroom no less.

That wasn't too big of a deal, so long as Draco hadn't left personal belongings lying about the way Ginny had when he and Hermione went to the Burrow to have their little meeting with Harry and Ron. Even so, Draco felt slightly uncomfortable with the thought of Hermione sleeping in his bed.

_As long as she doesn't know it's mine, _Draco thought, wandering over to the couch so he could watch the telly. Upon discovering it, he had found that it really was entertaining, almost to the point where it was addicting.

Meanwhile, Hermione was shedding the sweater she wore over her t-shirt and her shoes. The jeans she was wearing were loose enough that she could sleep in them, so she crawled into the bed and promptly fell asleep. She didn't even notice that the sheets were in a sort of disarray when she walked into the room, but if she had, she doubted that she would have cared. Blokes certainly did not make the bed in the guest room, if they had one.

Draco could hear Hermione snoring through a closed door. He didn't know she did that, but now that he did, he suspected she moved a lot in her sleep as well. At one point he rose and slowly opened the door to his room to check in on her, and found Hermione curled up with her brown curls spilled out on his pillow. Draco smiled and ducked out again, then spent two hours watching Muggle programs and sports.

He couldn't bring himself to relax. The entire situation seemed surreal. Hermione Granger was there in Draco's home, sleeping in his bed in a position that one could compare to a cat. And she wasn't involved with Ron, either. It all seemed too perfect to Draco, the way it had when Hermione had approached him when they both went back to Hogwarts to redo their seventh year.

"_Ginny, what are you staring at?" Hermione asked and craned her neck to see what had captivated her friend so. _

"_The last person I expected to show his face here," Ginny replied, picking up her goblet of pumpkin juice. She looked at it thoughtfully, as if she was contemplating throwing it at the person she was speaking of. _

_Hermione turned around all the way and found that she was staring at one Draco Malfoy. She wasn't shocked like Ginny. It made sense that Draco would return, if he valued his education the way Hermione herself did. _

_For the rest of the year, Hermione did her best to be amiable when it came to Malfoy. She had been made Head Girl to Draco's Head Boy, which didn't bother her as much as it should have. The two developed a pattern, a routine, and it worked well until Ron visited Hermione at Hogwarts. _

_Draco was enjoying his seventh year more than he had enjoyed any other. He was mostly ignored at school, which suited him fine, and Hermione was a constant in his life. He even considered her to be a friend, in his mind, at least. Then Weasley showed up. __Weasley proceeded to threaten Draco to "stay away from Hermione." Draco wouldn't have obeyed those instructions, if Hermione hadn't been so distraught over the whole ordeal._

_So they started to avoid each other. Draco was the first to close himself off to Hermione, only talking to her to discuss their duties as Heads. It made him miserable, but Hermione seemed better, and that was all that mattered._

And now they were friends again. Draco didn't know if the past would repeat itself or not. Ron couldn't claim Hermione anymore, nor could he boss her around, so he could be subtracted from the equation. That didn't make it any less complicated.

Draco jumped to his feet when he heard a door open. He wasn't expecting company and feared the worst.

"And you say I'm too tense," Hermione said quietly, smiling. She had a blanket Draco recognized from his room wrapped around her shoulders, and her hair was tangled. She looked as out of place in Draco's flat as he did.

"Sleep well?" Draco asked when Hermione sat down next to him.

"Mmhm," she replied, leaning over so her head was resting in the crook of Draco's neck.

_Is Hermione okay…? Or does she think I'm Harry?_ Draco wondered.

"Thanks again for everything, Draco."

_Okay, so she knows I'm not Harry. Maybe she's just confused. I wouldn't be surprised if she finally got off her rocker._

"Where did you go?" Hermione asked, looking up at Draco with amusement plainly evident in her eyes.

"What? I didn't go anywhere," Draco said, his eyebrows furrowing together in confusion, the look only deepening when Hermione laughed.

"I didn't mean that physically. You just seemed deep in thought. I guess it was kind of my way to ask what you were thinking about," Hermione explained, playing with Draco's fingers since his arm was wrapped around her.

"Oh. I was just wondering if you were alright," Draco replied, though he didn't elaborate on why he thought Hermione wasn't okay.

"Is this about Ron? Because I've already told you that I'm not too bothered by it all. I think Molly is upset enough about it for the both of us," Hermione said, the corners of her mouth twitching up in a smile. "George is really angry at Ron too."

"You mean the twin with a missing ear?"

Hermione didn't know when Draco would learn all of Ron's siblings' names. "Yes, the one with the missing ear."

"Why is he so angry?"

"Harry says it's because he feels protective of me. They all do, but he thinks George does the most." Knowing Draco would ask another question, Hermione continued. "Harry has a theory that George is so protective of me because I helped save Fred when he would have died. And had Fred died, a part of George would have as well. I've told him over and over again that he and Fred are like my brothers, but George will have none of it and treats me the way he treats Ginny, except to the extreme."

Draco blinked. "Who knew blokes could think like that?"

"Me, of course, and Harry too, which is one of the reasons why Ginny loves him."

"Of course, Hermione," Draco said. When Hermione gave him that look, it was best to just agree with whatever she was rambling on about.

They sat in companionable silence, their eyes on the television although neither of them was paying attention. Hermione kept thinking back to that elderly woman from a while back, the one that commented on "young love." No one, the exception being the Weasleys, had ever said that about her and Ron. Then a random stranger said it about Hermione and Draco. How odd was that?

Draco, on the other hand, was doing his best to stay away from sappy and cliché thoughts revolving around the way having Hermione in his arms and flat felt right. _Insane thoughts lead to insane actions, after all_, he reminded himself. He considered telling Hermione how odd he thought their current position was, but when he glanced down at her, he found that she was asleep once again.

He sighed, out of relief more than anything else. Draco turned a bit and brushed a light kiss on the top of Hermione's head – he wouldn't have dared to do such a thing if she had been conscious.

"Sleep well princess."

* * *

><p>AN: It's raining buckets where I am so I'm more or less miserable ._. I have chapters eleven and twelve already written, but I'm saving them so I have something to upload tomorrow and on Thanksgiving. Don't track me down and kill me, now.

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	11. Chapter Eleven

November 20th, 2011

A/N: Because it's almost Thanksgiving, I'll try to post more often, seeing as I'll have plenty of free time (: I might even spoil you lot by posting chapters every day. Thanks for leaving your thoughts and comments, because they're all appreciated, from ones saying "Great job!" to others that are full of constructive criticism. Cat, you are a goddess. Thanks so much for being the best beta ever!

Oh, and if you guys are expecting a sex scene or even a snogging session in very graphic description, don't. I'm only thirteen! If amazing writers like Wizards-Pupil can't write one of those scenes without blushing, I certainly can't.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Eleven

_Tap tap tap. _

Draco glanced up to see a vaguely familiar owl impatiently waiting on the other side of the window closest to the couch he was sitting on. He made sure Hermione was still sleeping soundly before he carefully stood to see what message was so urgent.

"Mmph," Hermione mumbled, turning so she was lying on her side. Draco glanced over at her and smiled slightly, then opened the sealed letter in his hands.

_Draco darling, _

_I apologize for the short notice, but I have been occupied until now. Enclosed in this envelope is an invitation to the gala I am hosting for my birthday, which will occur in three days' time. I will formally request your presence, but you know as well as I do that I will not take no for an answer. You may bring whomever you wish. _

_-Your loving mother Narcissa Malfoy_

Draco groaned aloud. The gala would be a problem by itself, but he was also sure that his mother had invited the entire Greengrass family to attend as well. That meant seeing Astoria, and he wasn't looking forward to that.

Hermione slowly opened her eyes and allowed them to adjust to the light. Why were the walls blue? Ginny's room was painted dark green and gold, to match the colors of the Holyhead Harpies. Then Hermione remembered she had napped at Draco's flat because he kept insisting.

"Is something wrong?" she asked sleepily, sitting up.

Draco shook his head, then paused and sat down next to Hermione.

"My mother's having a celebration for her birthday and she wants me to go," he explained, leaning back against his couch.

"What's so bad about that? She's your mother. You should go," Hermione said, patting Draco's hand. "You obviously care about her very much. I don't see what would keep you from being there for her."

Grimacing, Draco had to admit that Hermione had a fair point. But he wouldn't tell her that.

"Astoria will be there."

Hermione shot him a patronizing look, a smirk tugging at her mouth. "You can't avoid Astoria forever. Speaking of, how are things going between you two?"

"I'd rather they weren't going at all, but of course she has a different opinion. She continues to pursue me the way Weaselette pursued Potter for the majority of her life."

"A fair comparison," Hermione said, grinning. She tucked a few stray locks of hair behind her ears and nestled deeper into the blanket she was covered by. "Anyway, you can't shut your mother out of your life because of some girl. It's ridiculous. I'd do anything to have my mother bothering me right now."

Draco winced again. Hermione had to point that out. She really knew how to tug on one's heartstrings.

"I'm sorry. You're right; I'll go."

Hermione smiled in satisfaction, but she didn't get to celebrate her victory for long.

"But only if you go with me."

Averting her eyes, Hermione thought back to the last time she had been inside Malfoy Manor. She had been tortured, through magic and Muggle means. She didn't know how long she would last without breaking down from the awful memories.

But she wanted Draco to cherish the time he had with his mum, and she knew he wouldn't go to the gala alone. Hermione sighed. The Gryffindor part of her wanted to help her friend, but the more selfish part refused to go anywhere near the place she had been at the mercy of Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Draco, you have to realize that all of the guests will be purebloods who hate Mudbloods like me with an unreasonable passion," Hermione said.

"You are not a Mudblood," Draco replied fiercely.

Hermione covered her mouth with one hand to suppress her laughter. "Yes, I am, and I'm proud of it too. It doesn't bother me at all anymore. But things will be awfully uncomfortable for you if you walk into the room with a Muggleborn on your arm."

"Things will be even more uncomfortable if you're not there to keep me sane," Draco argued stubbornly.

"I'm not going to win this, am I?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm a Malfoy. I always win."

"If you say so," Hermione said, deciding to humor her old classmate. "Is it black tie?"

"Narcissa Malfoy is hosting this party. Of course it's black tie." Draco paused for a moment, tilting his head to the side as he thought. "Do you need dress robes? Because it would be the least I could do to buy them for you, since I'm dragging you along."

Hermione arched an eyebrow. "Draco, I do own dresses. It won't be the first time I've gone to that kind of event."

Another reminder that Hermione had once been Weasley's girlfriend. Draco frowned and changed the channel on the television. Hermione shifted so her head was leaning back on Draco's chest, so she couldn't see the emotions flitting over his face.

Caught up in her own world, Hermione unconsciously grabbed Draco's hand when she began to wonder how Narcissa would receive her. Maybe the woman had changed, the way her son had. Harry had once told Hermione that Narcissa was partially why he was able to defeat Voldemort for good. So she couldn't be that bad.

"Hermione, I do believe you've cut off all circulation in my hand," Draco observed calmly, gently removing the witch's death grip.

"Merlin, I'm sorry!" Hermione squeaked, her cheeks turning pink.

"It's alright, but what were you thinking about?" Draco asked, massaging his soon-to-be bruised hand.

Hermione blushed even redder and moved so only their shoulders were touching. She pulled her knees to her chest and glanced around the room, her eyes landing on everything but Draco.

"Are you sure going to Narcissa's birthday party with me is such a good idea? Her guests' opinions don't really matter to me, but this is your mother we're talking about," Hermione said, picking at invisible loose threads on her shirt.

"Don't worry about it so much. She'll adore you, I'm sure."

Hermione looked at him skeptically. "Are you saying that so you don't have to put up with any more of my rambling, or do you truly mean it?"

"Honestly woman, have you no faith in me?" Hermione snorted and Draco mock scowled at her. "It was a rhetorical question," he sniffed. He sobered soon after, though. "I think Mother will like you. Not at first, but she'll get used to the fact that you were born into a family of Muggles, and then she'll accept you for you."

"Okay," Hermione said quietly, mildly appeased.

Draco focused on what was flashing on the screen of the telly. Hermione was doing a lot for him and he hadn't even asked how she was doing. Of course, Draco knew that Hermione was better off without Ron, and that she knew it as well, but he still should have asked.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?" Hermione replied, looking at the pale blonde.

"How are you doing?"

Hermione blinked, not understanding what Draco meant at first. As soon as she did, though, she exhaled rather loudly, so that it could almost be called a huff.

"I'm fine, Draco. You of all people should know that by now," Hermione said, extending her arms above her head, which caused her to yawn. "You were there when I broke things off with Ron. You were there when I talked to him again. Harry's too much like my brother to see that I'm not crying my heart out – he thinks he's my protector. In some ways he is, so it's alright for him to shelter me for a while. But I've told you everything, so I expect you to not act this way around me."

The matter-of-fact way Hermione spoke did nothing to convince Draco, but his own memories reminded him of how Hermione had handled herself in the presence of Weaselbee. She certainly was not the weak girl in need of assistance, the way Potter seemed to think she was.

Draco had learned from experience that when Hermione Granger stated something, it was best to believe her. If only Harry learned as fast as Draco did.

"Alright then, that's settled. What are you going to do if you see him with Lilac again, though?" Draco asked.

Hermione laughed out loud, which was the last thing Draco had thought she would do. "Her name is Lavender, Draco, not Lilac. And I'm going to be nice, to the both of them. I'll also make sure Ginny won't give them a night to remember in a bad way, because the Burrow is one of the most welcoming places I have ever been to. Lavender should get the chance to become a part of the family, if Ron is serious about her."

"You really are far too soft-hearted for your own good, Granger."

"Don't make me turn you into a ferret again, Malfoy," Hermione replied, going back to watching the television.

"Is that a threat?"

"Possibly, but being an animal isn't so bad, you know, once you get used to it," Hermione said without hesitation.

"How would you know what being an animal is like?" Draco asked curiously. Had that mad man Moody transfigured Hermione into something while he was their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher as well? Surely not; as Hermione often told him, all the professors had loved her, the only exception being Severus Snape.

Hermione felt the blood rush to her face. The only people who were supposed to know were Harry, Ron, Ginny and the Ministry. It was too late to back out, though. Draco's inquisitive nature matched her own.

"I'm an Animagus," Hermione blurted.

Draco's eyes widened. "You're kidding. I knew you were talented, Granger, but damn, that takes the bag. Who else knows? What's your form? Does that mean Potter and Weasley are Animagi too?"

"Who could have seen the day when Draco Malfoy would ask so many questions?" Hermione muttered before she answered him. "To the first one, you, the Ministry, Harry, Ginny, and Ron. My form is a cat. Yes, Harry and Ron are Animagi; Harry is a dog and Ron is a lion."

"You haven't told the rest of the Weasley clan about this? And how is it that of the three of you, Weasel got the best animal?"

"Draco, you don't know much about lions, do you?" Hermione asked, smiling softly. "We have yet to tell the rest of Ron's family. Harry wanted it to be something the three of us shared, but of course he had to let Ginny know. I think he's going to propose soon. Besides, it's a rather recent thing. Only a little before Harry's twentieth birthday."

Draco bit his lip. He didn't want to seem childish, but he was dying to see Hermione transform into her Animagus form.

Hermione chuckled and got to her feet. Draco was acting much like Ginny had when Harry told her their big news.

Turning into an animal wasn't as hard as most people thought. Hermione just had to concentrate, and then she was a cat. It was simple to her. Draco, on the other hand, thought seeing Hermione transform was one of the things that made magic truly come to life.

"Mrow?"

Draco looked down to see an extremely fluffy brown tabby cat perched on the cushion next to him. The cat – Hermione – blinked large, inquisitive amber eyes at him.

It was hard to think that the creature covered in fur was Hermione, so Draco had no problem picking the feline up and placing her in his lap. He scratched its head absently and was surprised when it started purring.

Hermione hadn't meant to purr. It was the most mortifying part of being a cat, in her opinion. She couldn't even control it, and Hermione liked being able to control what she did.

To put an end to the embarrassing moment, Hermione the cat delicately leapt down onto the floor and morphed back into a human. She kept her back to Draco until she was sure her face was its normal complexion.

"That was bloody awesome," Draco said, shaking his head. Hermione continued to stand, feeling more than a little awkward. It was the first time she had shown anyone her Animagus form, aside from Harry, the two youngest Weasleys and the Ministry officials.

"It's not that great," Hermione mumbled, blushing once more. "You could learn to be one too, you know."

Draco gave that some serious thought. "I actually like the idea. What do you suppose my animal would be?"

"A ferret?" Hermione suggested cheekily.

"Granger, you're lucky you're easy on the eyes," Draco informed her with a jokingly warning manner. "Be honest now."

"Oh, but you make such a lovely ferret," Hermione said condescendingly, patting Draco on the head. "I don't know, what animals can be as sarcastic as you?"

"I don't think animals can be sarcastic, 'Mione," Draco replied, snorting.

"Well, the only way to find out your Animagus form would be for you to become an Animagus," Hermione pointed out. "The process is a bit of a pain, but I don't think it'll be any problem for you. Give it a try."

"If you think I should, then sure. After Mother's party is over."

* * *

><p>Hermione contemplated asking Ginny to borrow a dress. Hers were more suited to a party hosted by an esteemed pureblood, after all. But then Ginny would want to know why Hermione needed a dress, so Hermione decided to put the magical skills she was known for to use.<p>

Holding out a length of deep purple cloth in front of her, Hermione waved her wand over the material, and soon she was holding a dress. One of her finer pieces of work, that was certain. The dress would hug her curves nicely, but it wasn't too clingy. And Hermione could adjust it whenever she needed to.

Once she pinned up her curls and slipped the dress and simple heels on, Hermione apparated to Draco's flat so they could arrive at the Manor together.

A wolf whistle greeted her, and instead of blushing the way Draco had expected her to, Hermione laughed.

"That's one way to say hello to someone," Hermione commented when Draco took her hand and spun her around. She took him by the shoulders and held him at arm's length, smiling when she saw he was dressed in a smart black Muggle suit. "Don't you look dapper tonight?"

"Are you implying that I don't always look this good?"

"Of course not, sweetie, of course not," Hermione said, straightening Draco's tie. "What made you decide to dress Muggle?"

Draco shrugged. "I had to get some use out of this thing. Besides, no one at my mother's gala will notice the difference." He reached up to rake his hand through his hair, tousling it so that it looked quite out of place with his formal attire.

"I take it you're as nervous about this as I am, then?" Hermione asked, loosening her grip on her clutch with visible effort.

"You're probably more nervous than I am, but yeah," Draco said, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "Come on, best get this over with."

Hermione took a deep breath, took Draco's proffered hand, and when she opened her eyes she was in the foyer of Malfoy Manor. She had charmed the scars on her arm so that they weren't visible, but she was still keenly aware of them, and walking past the room where she had been branded a Mudblood did nothing to help that.

"I'm so glad you could make it, my dear," Narcissa Malfoy said as her son approached her with his date. She didn't recognize the witch and greeted her with the respect she would give a fellow pureblood. "Who is your friend?"

"Mother, this is Hermione Granger," Draco replied evenly, wrapping an arm around Hermione's waist.

"I see. It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Miss Granger." Narcissa smiled cordially, much to the surprise of both Draco and Hermione.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione said, making sure that her eyebrows didn't shoot up and disappear in her hairline.

"If you'll excuse me, I should receive my other guests."

"That…was unbelievable," Draco muttered as he and Hermione sat down at their designated table.

"Your mother doesn't seem so bad," Hermione told Draco when he handed her a wine glass filled with champagne. She set it down, folding her hands in her lap. No one else was sitting yet – they were all mingling – so she and Draco could have a decent conversation.

"She isn't," Draco agreed. "She never wanted to be involved with the whole Dark Lord business but-" He trailed off and his hand moved subtly to the side of his face, his fingers massaging his temple as he inhaled deeply.

"But what?" Hermione asked, puzzled. It wasn't like Draco to abruptly stop talking.

"Astoria just walked in," Draco said through clenched teeth, so no one else could tell what he was saying. "And I dare say she just spotted us."

Hermione refused to lose her head. Astoria had made her feel inferior before, that much was true, but then Hermione had helped her on the way to an improved relationship with Draco, so the encounter surely wouldn't go as badly as Draco seemed to think it would.

"What the fuck is she doing sitting in my seat?"

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you all for reading! Don't forget to leave your opinions and/or suggestions in a lovely little review that you can write by pressing that beautiful blue button right...down...there...

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	12. Chapter Twelve

November 20th, 2011

A/N: Normally I don't write so much consecutively – three chapters in one day, nor do I post this frequently, but I'm mad at my parents right now and this provides an escape, especially since Astoria is currently blowing up and Hermione is about to talk the way I wish I did in real life. Seriously, how is it always MY fault? Thanks, Cat, for always being there to correct my silly mistakes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Twelve

"One, this isn't your seat, and two, I doubt my mother appreciates the way you're currently speaking to one of her guests," Draco said, ignoring the cuts on his hand that had come from his crushing a glass.

Hermione muttered something – Draco could have sworn it was "honestly" – and produced her wand from her clutch. She pointed it at his injured hand and Draco barely managed to refrain from hissing at the sting. The pain was gone in a minute, though, as were the lacerations.

"You never told me you were seeing her," said Astoria. If there was anything that got on Hermione's nerves, it was being talked about as if she wasn't even there.

"I'm going to set you straight right now. Draco and I are _not_ seeing each other, and the only reason I'm even here is out of a favor to him, so he can avoid you. Now I'd rather that whenever we saw each other I didn't have to treat you like an incompetent, spoiled child, but with the way things are going, I feel as if I should begin to expect it."

"You go Granger," Draco murmured, a ghost of a smile appearing on his previously impassive face.

"Also, and this is not going to feel very good, but you need to stop acting like a high-class hooker and move on. Draco obviously doesn't return your feelings. If you haven't figured that out by now, I'm sure everyone else would be glad to tell you."

Astoria grew pink, then red, and eventually a purple that could compete with Hermione's dress. A woman stepped up beside her, one that was much calmer and seemingly kinder.

"I'm terribly sorry for my sister, Draco. She didn't expect to see you here with someone else," Daphne Greengrass explained as she led Astoria away. She glanced over her shoulder to add, "It's nice seeing you again, and in better company than when we were at Hogwarts."

Daphne's expression hardened as Astoria began to talk, wildly gesturing at Hermione and Draco. The older of the Greengrass girls jabbed her finger at her sister and said something very quickly before dragging her to a table far away from the one Draco had been placed.

Hermione watched the mysterious brunette go approvingly. "I take it that was Daphne? I like her much better than Astoria."

"I dare say everyone does," Draco said, relaxing once Astoria was gone. "Thanks for fixing my hand. You could have been a healer had you wanted to."

"After years of hanging around Harry, I've gotten used to keeping everyone unharmed," Hermione replied dryly. "And he's often told me that. He's basically told me I could be anything."

"I'm not going to say I disagree."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You men are impossible."

"Impossibly hard not to adore," Draco corrected her, grinning impishly. He noticed that despite the fact it was growing dark out, the other witches and wizards in attendance were not sitting.

"Care to dance?" Draco asked after a moment passed.

Hermione pretended to consider his offer for a long while before she nodded. She took his hand, letting him lead her to the ballroom dance floor.

_He really is a marvelous dancer. Who would have thought?_ Hermione wondered as Draco twirled and dipped her. It took her a moment to get her bearings; the last time she had danced was with Harry on the horcrux hunt, and that was not fit for the kind of event Hermione was attending in the slightest.

Draco studied Hermione as discreetly as he could. Her face was lighting up and she was smiling softly. What was running through her head?

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" Draco replied. Then he remembered Hermione's dislike of having her questions answered by more questions. _Too late to take it back now_.

"Like some kind of alien specimen," Hermione said, her voice laced with amusement.

"Am I really doing that?" Draco asked, blinking. "And I was just wondering what you were thinking."

There was that smile again. Draco knew better than to guess that Hermione was thinking of Ron, but who else could extract such a look from her other than someone she had loved?

"I was thinking of Harry."

_Ah, that makes sense_. _But wait, does that mean she fancies Potter now?_

"What about Harry?" Draco prompted as he and Hermione glided across the dance floor. They really were a good pair, at least when it came to dancing. Even Astoria couldn't deny the two looked nice together, although she would never admit it.

"Have I ever told you that while we were hunting for horcruxes, Ron left?" Draco paused then nodded. Hermione had mentioned it in passing. "When he left, I was devastated. I cried for days. Everything seemed to be falling apart. Then one night Harry pulled me up from where I was sitting and proceeded to act like a very loveable goofball," Hermione finished.

"Did anything happen? Between you and Harry, I mean." Draco didn't mean to be so nosy, but he wanted to know, and he knew Hermione wouldn't share that kind of information unless he asked.

Hermione looked at him incredulously. "Of course not. Harry was and always will be my surrogate brother. Although I don't think he's told Ginny everything quite yet," she added thoughtfully. "He should tell her soon, before Ronald puts any ideas into her head."

Draco murmured an intelligible response and as the song ended, a bell resounded. Hermione stopped suddenly, her hand closing around Draco's arm in case the bell was some kind of alarm or announcement.

"Relax," Draco said, laughing. "It's only dinner. It's not going to kill you."

"Oh…I, um, I knew that," Hermione muttered, blushing furiously. "Draco, what if I do something wrong and make a fool out of myself?"

"You're Hermione Granger. You can't do anything wrong."

Hermione sighed – of course Draco would say something like that. The sentiment was not ignored, though, and she did sit a little straighter at dinner. Most mistook her for a pureblood until they spoke of blood status and which was better than which. Some grew grudging respect for the soft-spoken but driven young woman, while others maintained their disdain.

The approval of stuffy old bats didn't matter to Hermione. What mattered was the fact that she had a feeling Astoria would try to slip something into her goblet that night.

"She won't do anything with all of these people watching," Draco whispered, ducking his head in the pretense of brushing off the sleeve of his suit so his lips could not be read.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Hermione whispered back.

"You always get that look in your eyes when you think someone is about to attack you," Draco snorted. "Or someone close to you."

_I get a certain look in my eyes when I think people I care about are in danger? I never knew that_, Hermione thought. For the rest of the evening, she hardly paid attention to anyone but Draco and Astoria, and occasionally Daphne. Hermione hadn't expected to have a good time at Narcissa Malfoy's party, so she wasn't too bothered by how it turned out.

Draco, however, was more than a little irked by the fact that his date – escort – whatever she was, was off in her own world, no doubt coming up with highly complicated escape plans. Hermione truly was too high strung for her own good, and Draco's too. He liked being around Hermione because she expressed her opinions without censoring anything, and she expressed them a lot. Draco didn't like the quiet version of her, the one who thought Astoria could actually do some permanent damage. It was ridiculous.

"Granger, will you please stop looking like You-Know-Who is in the room?" Draco asked as they followed everyone back into the ballroom.

"Why can't you just say his name?" Hermione responded.

"Because nearly every witch or wizard present supported him at one point, or their families did. To actually call the Dark Lord by his name would bring unnecessary and unreasonable reactions that I'd rather do without," Draco said tersely.

Hermione turned her head away from him. She knew she was acting unlike herself, but she hardly felt secure where she was, even if Draco was with her. She remembered how Draco had reacted when he was at the Burrow, and decided she got the more unsatisfactory part of the bargain.

"Draco? Would you mind if I talked to Hermione for a bit?"

Draco turned to see that Daphne was now behind them. "Of course not," Draco managed to say, forcing himself to smile at Daphne. Daphne shot him an odd look before she asked Hermione whether a walk in the gardens sounded nice.

"It sounds lovely, Daphne."

Hermione allowed Daphne to show her the way, and was friendlier towards the woman she had just met than she had been to Draco for a good hour. Daphne pointed that out, and Hermione couldn't bring herself to get irritated.

"I'm not comfortable here," Hermione said as she and Daphne sat down on a stone bench. It was a chilly November night, but the two were witches, after all, and they put their convenient abilities to use.

"That much is obvious, Hermione, but Draco is trying to help you. He wouldn't have left your side at all if it hadn't been me who was trying to talk to you."

Hermione let that register before abruptly saying, "Excuse me for asking, but how are you and Astoria so different?"

Daphne smiled wryly. "Tell me she hasn't scared you away, because I by myself am no threat whatsoever. She isn't either, but I won't deny that she means you harm, even if she can't follow through on any vows she makes."

"It takes much more than things like 'Stay away from Draco or I'll tell my father' to scare me away," Hermione assured Daphne, grinning.

"Glad to hear you're a tough girl, Miss Granger. As for your question…I'm not entirely sure. Astoria was – is – our parents' princess. I'm their actual heir since they have no sons, but she's always been their princess, and they've always treated her differently. I don't mind, really, especially when I see the contrasts between our personalities," Daphne said, taking the pins out of her hair so the curls tumbled over her shoulders.

"Do you think we could get together again sometime? It's been a while since I've had a sane conversation with a girl aside from Ginny and Gina."

"I'd like that, Hermione. Owl me whenever you like."

* * *

><p>Draco was returning from the loo when he heard the sound of heels following him. When he turned around to see who the person was, they were gone, which only made their identity more obvious to him.<p>

"Astoria, come out, it's not decent for a lady to be hiding, and I already know you're there," Draco said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

He had never seen Astoria look sheepish before. He also hadn't had a falling out of any kind with Hermione since they became reacquainted. Obviously it was a night for some changes.

"I wanted to make sure you were completely alone, without Granger here," Astoria told Draco, much to his chagrin. If Astoria wanted to get him by himself, no good would come out of the encounter.

Draco kept walking – that way Astoria couldn't corner him. He was taller than her still, and while he could escape with few problems (most likely), Draco preferred to not be trapped against a wall by Astoria.

"I'm not going to force my affections on you when you make it so painfully clear that you won't like it," Astoria said, sighing. "I just thought I'd let you know something, because it involves you as well."

"If you're talking about that Daily Prophet article, I've already gotten to work on suing Rita Skeeter."

"No, I'm not talking about that, though I did laugh at the absurdity of it all. Would you mind if we…?" Astoria gestured to an empty room, keeping her expression neutral. It would not benefit her in the slightest if Draco ran off because of her face of all things.

Draco stuck his head in the room first. There were a few people in there that appeared to be having a meeting of some kind. There was enough space so that he and Astoria wouldn't bother them. Draco couldn't find a problem with Astoria's request, so he walked in against his better judgment.

"What did you want to let me know?" Draco asked, leaning against the wall right next to the door out of instinct.

"Well," Astoria began, smiling uneasily and lacing her fingers together, only to pull them apart again, "I found something out the other day, something I was not expecting at all. Would you like to guess what?"

The most accurate description of the look Draco shot Astoria would have to be a _you have got to be kidding me _one.

"I'll take that as a no," Astoria said, not bothering to hide that she was slightly put out. "Anyway, I thought I should let you know that you're going to be a father!"

Draco stared at her. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" he blurted aloud. On the inside his mind was rationally saying, _No, Astoria is crazy and you've always been aware of that. Don't let her get to you because you never have before. She's just spinning her usual lies._

"Why would I joke about being the mother of your child?" Astoria replied, widening her green eyes so she resembled a wounded puppy that just got kicked by its master. "I just wanted to tell you, though, before the Daily Prophet lets the rest of the world know."

Gulping down the alcoholic beverage a server had been carrying around on a tray had apparently been a very bad idea. Draco still had a bit of the liquid in his mouth, and he spat it out immediately, making Astoria's lips purse in disgust.

"Astoria, it's one thing to try and trick me into believing something, but when you've got yourself convinced…maybe you should get some help," Draco said, his voice hoarse. "My mother knows an excellent witch who's really quite skilled at working with deranged people."

"How dare you!" Astoria exclaimed, fisting her hands at her sides. "Whether you like it or not, Draco Malfoy, you will be around to love and raise our child! And I will not have you make a fool out of myself! I am sure that once I tell your mother about the situation, she will agree with me whole-heartedly."

The worst part was, Draco thought as Astoria walked away, was that for once, the pampered princess was right.

Narcissa wouldn't want a bastard child ruining the family name, but even more, she would expect her son to marry the woman who claimed to be pregnant because it was "the right thing to do."

Another thing, though, was that Draco never remembered shagging Astoria. They had been engaged for a few months before he broke things off, and he hadn't even let her get close enough to kiss him. Unless there was some New Year's incident he didn't recall because he had been too drunk. That wouldn't be good, either.

Draco needed to discuss what he had just learned with Hermione, but for all he knew she was still mad at him. He groaned and headed for the gardens – Daphne had mentioned them, hadn't she?

"Hermione! Hermione, thank Merlin you're here," Draco shouted when he saw the Gryffindor in question sitting with Daphne.

"Draco? Is something wrong?" Hermione asked, standing up and covering the last stretch of distance between them, shooting a backwards glance at Daphne. "Do we have to leave? Is anyone hurt?"

"Er, we don't _have _to leave, though I'd prefer that we do, and no one is hurt, as far as I know. Daphne? Has Astoria told you her big news yet?"

Daphne grimaced. She clearly knew more about what Draco was talking about than Hermione did.

"I take it she managed to get you alone, then. I'm not going to say anything about it, because I wasn't present when she tested it, but I don't think she'd lie about it either. I'm sorry. Maybe it's not yours," Daphne suggested.

"_What's_ not Draco's?" Hermione wondered, but she had a feeling she knew the answer to her silly question. The look Draco gave her said it all. Hermione's hand flew to her mouth. "You got Astoria pregnant?"

"For the love of Merlin, no! I don't know! I don't think so," Draco cried, pulling at his hair. "I don't recall ever doing anything like that with Astoria. I need to think about this. Hermione, are you coming?"

Hermione was annoyed at Draco, but she wasn't about to leave him alone in his time of need. She bade Daphne a quick farewell, told her to expect an owl from her soon, and apparated back to Draco's flat.

Draco fumbled with his tie, trying to get it off in vain. Hermione took pity on him eventually – or maybe her pity was meant for the poor tie – and helped him remove it from its place around his neck.

"Go sit down and I'll make you some tea," Hermione said quietly, offering Draco a small smile. She managed to locate everything she needed in his small kitchenette, and in a minute she was boiling water in a kettle on the stove.

Hermione bit her lip when she saw that Draco had his head in his hands. She didn't believe he would ruin not only his life but another person's as well. Astoria had to be mistaken. Draco was too responsible to get her pregnant.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hermione asked, rubbing Draco's back as comfortingly as she could after she had set two mugs of tea down on the coffee table in front of them.

"Not really. There's not much to talk about."

"Of course there's nothing to talk about, because you didn't just find out that you might be a father in nine months, or less, depending on how long Astoria has kept this a secret," Hermione snapped.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I just didn't think this would ever happen. I'm only twenty years old! I'm not emotionally ready to be a father, although I don't even believe that Astoria is truly pregnant. She's at least smarter than that."

Hermione let that sink into her brain, and then wrapped her arm around Draco's waist, giving him a hug of sorts. If it was alright with Draco, she would take care of him for as long as he needed it, because he had been there for her when she was finding her way again.

"If – when – whatever you want to say, you become a father, I think you'll be a great one," Hermione said, leaning over to plant a kiss on Draco's cheek.

Draco smiled slightly. "Believe whatever you want, Granger. But thanks for the thought."

* * *

><p>AN: Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Tell me what you're thankful for in a review :) I'm thankful for all of you, and the fact that I now know if I ever need a confidence booster, I can write a Dramione fan fiction and get a bunch of hits that way xD Anyway, I think we've gone through this before, but just in case we need to again...

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	13. Chapter Thirteen

November 23rd, 2011

A/N: I'm writing this…and I really have to pee – I'm sure you were all dying to know that – so this probably won't take that long. Thank you so much Cat, and thank you J.K. Rowling for being my inspiration!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Thirteen

"I think…I have…a hangover," Draco groaned, wondering who he was talking to even as he said that. He slowly opened his eyes and shut them again quickly. Sunlight was leaking into his room through a small gap in his curtains, and that did nothing to help the immense pounding he was experiencing in his head.

Outside, he heard someone – something – whatever it was, he heard something moving about. It could be a Death Eater for all Draco cared. He just wanted to stay in bed.

Hermione, however, had a feeling that Draco would be hung over from all his drinking the night before, so she had prepared a remedy potion for him. He was very lucky that Hermione Granger always thought ahead.

_If I yell at him…suppose he screams like a little girl?_ Hermione thought, smiling to herself as she made breakfast for both herself and Draco. Whenever Ron ingested too much alcohol, she had taken some pleasure in seeing him yelp because someone spoke with a voice level above a whisper.

But Hermione wouldn't do that to Draco. At least, she figured she wouldn't.

She hadn't meant to stay at his flat for the night, but Draco had been so sloshed that he would have gotten himself hurt one way or another. So Hermione apparated back to the Burrow after Draco passed out, explained what she was doing, and went back to his apartment with her beaded bag.

Ron hadn't wanted Hermione to go back and tend to Draco. He had said that "the ferret doesn't deserve that kind of treatment." Hermione had arched an eyebrow and disappeared again without replying.

"Like Ron's one to talk," Hermione grumbled. She was usually unhappy in the mornings if she didn't drink her tea early on.

Draco stumbled out of his room shortly after Hermione's mutterings. His hand was clutching his head, as if that would make the pain go away.

"Good morning," Hermione said nonchalantly, stabbing some scrambled eggs with her fork. "I have a potion for you once you're done eating. I'm afraid you can't take it until then. I still need to work that quirk out, but the potion itself does wonders. Or so I'm told."

"What, you've never been drunk before?" Draco asked quietly, amazed. He knew Hermione was the one person in all of England who was good from the inside out, but he couldn't believe that she had never drank that much.

"Not all of us need to get sloshed to have a good time, Malfoy."

"If you don't remember, I had a rather _bad_ time last night, Granger," Draco spat back. He had a god-awful headache, and he was growing more and more irritated with Hermione. He didn't notice that she had made him food, and that she had offered him a cure to the headache that was making him abnormally harsh.

"What, are you saying I'm bad company, then?" Hermione snapped. "You know what, never mind, don't you dare answer that question. I'm going home." She disapparated, causing a loud _crack_ that did not help Draco at all in his current state.

"_Honestly_!" the two of them shouted in unison, though none could hear them, and they couldn't hear each other.

Hermione scooped Crookshanks off the couch at the Burrow and held him close, burying her face in his tangled orange fur. Draco was being so unpleasant, and she wanted nothing to do with him. One of Hermione's biggest pet peeves was people who didn't appreciate what was done for them, whether they were Muggle, magical, squibs, it didn't matter. Right now Draco was at the top of her 'hit with a book' list – not that she actually had one she kept around the house.

"Hey, 'Mione, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to work after you finished nursing Malfoy back to full health," Harry said, a bit dryly, it seemed.

"Harry, not to be rude, but I would prefer it if you didn't even mention him to me at the moment."

Harry took a good look at Hermione and sat down on the cushion next to her. "What happened?" he asked, looping one arm around his best friend's shoulder. Hermione sighed, knowing Harry wouldn't leave her well alone until he got an answer, and leaned into him, grateful that Ron wasn't around.

"He downed too much alcohol yesterday because Astoria Greengrass told him he might be the father of her child. I know Draco doesn't fully believe she was being honest, but he's still out of his mind with worry and I think he's taking it out on me."

"Hermione, how would you feel if someone said you were a parent to their unborn baby? Hypothetically, I mean. Merlin knows you'd never do something that irresponsible. Put yourself in Draco's shoes for a minute, though. You know him better than I do; you know what he's thinking."

Hermione scoffed quietly. "Do I really, Harry? Sometimes it feels like I don't know Draco at all."

"I don't think that's true. You've known him since we were all eleven, and it's been nine years. You knew him when he was an insufferable little arse, and you're still friends with him now. What's his favorite color?"

_A question out of the blue to be certain…_ Hermione thought, smiling a little at her accidental pun.

"His favorite color is blue."

"I'm sure that aside from Draco himself, you're the only one who knows that," Harry said, covering Hermione's hand with his and giving it a gentle squeeze. "You know him the way you know me, the way I know you. I can't believe I'm saying this, but go make up with him."

Hermione made no move to rise. She gave Harry's words a fair amount of consideration, but she was too stubborn to be the first to apologize. She wasn't in the wrong. In her opinion, Draco deserved to suffer for a few hours, at least.

"Hermione Jean Granger, you are not actually going to wait until _he _apologizes to _you_, are you?" Harry asked, frowning.

"I think I am, Harry James Potter," Hermione replied, lightly elbowing Harry in the ribs.

Harry rolled his eyes. It was Hermione's choice and he couldn't do much about it. She was insufferable that way.

"Then at least go to work," Harry said, his tone changing so that it could be classified as teasing. "I'm sure Gina's about ready to kill you right now."

Hermione offered Harry a small smile, kissed his cheek and gave him a hug, and chose to walk to her and Gina's daycare from Diagon Alley. She apparated there first, wanting to enjoy her favorite season while she could.

What Hermione didn't want to do, however, was run back to Draco to beg for his forgiveness like a woman who didn't know how to survive without a man in her life. They were just friends, and she shouldn't have been as upset as she was. She wasn't a weak teenage girl, completely dependent on any bloke.

She had covered more distance than she had thought. Hermione stopped in front of the daycare and reached out to open the door when she saw Gina and Blaise talking by her office.

Tilting her head to the side, Hermione silenced the bell with a charm only she and Gina knew and let herself in the building. She stared in shock when Gina smiled, grabbed Blaise by his tie and pulled him in so she could kiss him.

"What the…" Hermione blurted, slapping her hand over her mouth. She hadn't meant to interrupt Gina and Blaise, but the damage was done.

"Oh, hello Hermione," Gina said, beaming as if she just hadn't been caught snogging Blaise Zabini. "How was Narcissa Malfoy's gala last night?"

"It was…interesting," Hermione replied slowly. "Are you two, um, dating now?"

"We haven't made it official yet, but yes," Gina more or less gushed. Hermione cringed internally; a sappy Gina was the last thing she needed while fighting with Draco. Not that Hermione wasn't happy for her friend; she just wanted her to contain her excitement a tad more.

"That's great, Gina," Hermione managed to say, forcing a smile. Blaise looked at her, then told Gina he should get going and left, but not before Hermione's two friends kissed once again.

_Well this is…awkward…_ Hermione thought, politely turning away. Just then little Zane tackled her legs.

"Missy 'Mione! You's back! Zane has missed you!"

Chuckling, Hermione helped Zane onto her back and ran to the back room. "I've missed you too, sweetheart, and it's 'you're', not 'you's'," she corrected. Since Zane had enrolled in her and Gina's daycare, he hadn't left Hermione's side, and she had been dubbed his favorite teacher "ever in the whole wide world ever."

"Missy 'Mione, are you unhappy?" Zane asked, tightening his arms around Hermione's neck.

Hermione turned her head to smile at the five year old. "No, what makes you think that?"

"I dunno," Zane said, his eyebrows furrowing together as he tried to come up with a good reply. "You just seem sad."

"Don't worry about it, sweetie. It's nothing."

* * *

><p>Draco paced back and forth in his flat. He had taken the day off of work, but he had told Cassie to call him if there were any extreme emergencies. He could have gone, he supposed. The potion Hermione had left for him had worked wonders, but he was too sulky about their blow-up to deal with other peoples' problems.<p>

_I could always go say sorry to her_, Draco reminded himself. _Wait, no, Malfoys never apologize. The fact that it's Hermione doesn't change that._

A sharp rap on the door startled Draco out of his thoughts. He went to answer it calmly, his face devoid of all emotions.

"Mr. Malfoy. We are aware that you were formerly a Death Eater, and that you bear the Dark Mark on your left arm. Would you be so kind as to let us in so we can speak to you about a proposal?"

Draco stared at the men in black who were asking permission to enter his home. He figured it was dangerous either way, but if he allowed them to walk inside then he would at least have some more time to come up with a plan of sorts.

"Alright, come in," he said stiffly. Draco waited until the men passed him before he closed the door and sat down across from them. "Now how can I help you gentlemen?"

He suspected that the strangers were former Death Eaters such as himself, but one could hope that things turned out differently.

"First let us see your Dark Mark."

Draco frowned and pulled his sleeve up so the men could see his left forearm and the mark it bore. The first man, the one who had asked to enter, nodded in approval.

"My name is Benjamin Warrant and this is my colleague Zachary Goldman. We are here to inform you that members of our ranks are thinking of finishing what the Dark Lord started, and we would be glad to have you amidst us once again. The fact that you failed to carry out a mission in your sixth year will be forgiven and forgotten."

As Benjamin continued to explain his and Zachary's purpose, Draco's eyes narrowed into slits. He wanted to simply tell the two to "bugger off", but doing so would result in immediate death, and he still needed to make up with Hermione. He struggled to find the words that would make up a diplomatic answer and did the best he could.

"Thank you for the offer, gentlemen, but if you don't mind, I have to take it into consideration. I'm sure you understand," Draco said, smiling icily.

Zachary inclined his head and spoke for the first time. "Of course we understand, Mr. Malfoy. Take all the time you need."

Benjamin stood first, Zachary copying his example shortly. They left Draco to curse their names to the high heavens, although he waited until he heard them disapparated before he began.

Draco needed to let Hermione know what had happened. Occurrences in his life often caused him to go back to her when he was resolved not to. How could he not? Hermione was the problem solver, the one he could go to for advice whenever he needed it – and he needed Hermione every day. Draco just took too long to realize it.

* * *

><p>When Hermione heard someone yelling her name at the top of their lungs, she thought someone had died and the person yelling was Harry. She ran to the front of the daycare quickly, with Zane still on her back because he had refused to get off, even though he had been there for an hour.<p>

"What's wro-Draco?" Hermione asked, pausing by the reception counter. "Draco, what is it? What's happened?" She set Zane down on the floor and attempted to get him to play with the other children.

"No, I want to stay with you," Zane said stubbornly. He glanced at Draco. "Missy 'Mione, who's that?"

"He's a friend, sweetie. He has to tell me something really important now, so why don't you see what Miss Gina is doing? I'm sure she'd be super happy to read your favorite book to you," Hermione told the little boy, ruffling his hair. Zane hesitated before he nodded, gave Hermione a hug and went off to find Gina.

Hermione released a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding when Zane went around the corner. She watched him go with a fond smile, then turned to Draco and tilted her head to the side.

"Two Death Eaters came to my flat a few minutes ago," Draco said. "They told me what the D-Vo-Voldemort started, they were going to finish. And they wanted me to help them."

Much like Harry in their fifth year, Hermione's feelings changed when Draco used Voldemort's name for the first time. The fact that he had said it could be taken as a slight apology, and she knew it had cost him a considerable amount of effort.

"What did you say?" Hermione asked, just to be certain.

"I told them I'd consider it, because I do actually enjoy living, thank you. They said they'd give me all the time I need. I just thought I'd let you know. You really can't afford to be around me right now."

Hermione rolled her eyes and looked around for a heavy object she could hit Draco with.

"You are quite possibly more daft and thick than I originally thought, Draco Malfoy. You think Death Eaters can make me run away? You're my friend and I won't abandon you because of that. I'm a bloody Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake! We don't do abandonment," Hermione concluded.

Draco cracked a slight smile. "You probably are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"Don't you ever forget it, either," Hermione said with a smile of her own.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Granger."

Draco stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Hermione. "Thanks for always being there for me," he added quietly.

Hermione chuckled and returned the hug. "Like I said, we Gryffindors don't do abandonment, especially not me."

She tilted her head up so Draco could see her grin. He looked at Hermione for a few moments before he thought about the consequences - the most likely involving some amount of hexes - and leaned forward and kissed her.

From somewhere in a room, Gina started clapping and exclaimed, "Finally! It's taken you two long enough!"

Draco and Hermione broke apart and the latter turned to her friend and said, "Gina Rivera, you did not just interrupt us!"

"Oh, but I did. Can you blame me? It has taken you guys forever to finally kiss, let alone become a couple. Today seems to be a really good day. Not only am I dating Blaise, you two are going to start dating as well!"

Hermione shook her head at Gina and focused on Draco again. She smirked and kissed his nose.

"I don't know Draco, are we going to start dating?"

"Are you kidding me? Hell yes we are. I'm with Gina on this one. It's about time we got our relationship rolling. Took us way too long to get this far."

Draco loved that Hermione's special smile was reserved for him. Not Weasley, not Potter – him. And he had come to recognize the smile as such just as it started to emerge.

"You are impossible," Hermione said, kissing Draco again.

"Impossibly hard not to adore."

* * *

><p>AN: Oh Cat...your comments always...aha xD Anyways, thanks very much to you, and thank you all of my lovely readers :) I hope this amounts to your guys' expectations because I know the majority of you were waiting a very long time for Draco and Hermione to kiss and I'm sorry it's taken so long! I just didn't want them to see each other and like, have years of sexual tension explode...I wanted them to have a friendship first. Astoria will be back sometime, and Ron will be as well. Chapter fifteen is probably going to be Christmas at the Burrow, and I'm working on fourteen right now.

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	14. Chapter Fourteen

November 24th, 2011

A/N: I'm awfully tired today and I don't know why. I stayed up past midnight this morning to post chapter twelve. My brother and I were playing Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 for at least an hour, probably two. I hope you guys enjoy this (: Thanks Cat, for being a beta reader sent down from heaven!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Fourteen

_Hermione Granger Strikes Again!_

_The majority of the wizard community is aware that last Friday, Narcissa Malfoy hosted a gala to celebrate her birthday. Sources state that when Draco Malfoy arrived, he had none other than Hermione Granger on his arm__, much to the obvious displeasure of Astoria Greengrass. Her anger at this can be understood as she is, if our sources are correct, expecting Draco Malfoy's child._

_Could it be that Hermione Granger is the cause of the rift between Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass? _This would not be Granger's first time wooing famous, wealthy men. Several years ago, we reported on Granger's romance with the Bulgarian quidditch player Viktor Krum, which was hindered by her extremely close relationship with Harry Potter. Sources say that she has been toying with Potter's heart since then, and even Ron Weasley has been reported as saying that they are "closer than most," and that there have been moments that he has had to "step out of the way in order to allow them to have their relationship."__

__Is Granger the wedge driving Malfoy and Greengrass apart? Should Draco Malfoy even be keeping close company with someone that has been known to go after famous men? These questions and more are up for speculation, and we are sure this isn't the last we will hear about this tumultuous love triangle.__

_Even after they were out of school Hermione Granger continued to toy with dear Harry Potter's feelings. While they were searching for ways to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, the two had a romance Ronald Weasley can verify. Here is a snatch of an interview one of our journalists had with the war hero:_

"_What caused you to leave during the middle of the search?" our journalist, Sandy Whitman, asked._

"_I was very determined to bring Voldemort down once and for all, you see, but when it became obvious that Harry and Hermione just wanted some peace and quiet so they could further their relationship, I had to leave. Then, when I came back because I realized they would never stay on task without me there, they seemed to have had a fight and Hermione ran back to me. I'm sorry to say that it probably caused Harry to be less trustful of others than before," Weasley replied._

_Draco Malfoy certainly does not deserve that treatment. Ever since the war ended he has become a remarkable young wizard who works at St. Mungo's, fixing problems for others. I'm sure plenty of his supporters will send a message to Hermione Granger in Draco Malfoy's defense. _

_So there you have it, everyone. Stay tuned, though; the Daily Prophet is sure there is more to come._

Hermione threw the copy of Daily Prophet at Ron's face. "Would you care to explain yourself?" she asked once she finished reading the front page. She couldn't believe that something as silly as her love life was on the cover of a newspaper, _again_.

Harry quietly closed the door of Ron's office, muttering "_muffliato"_ so they wouldn't have any unwanted eavesdroppers. Then he sat down in a chair and let Hermione do the talking – or rather, ranting.

"You _know_ nothing has ever happened between Harry and I, and you still told Rita Skeeter, that awful woman, that something did! And you failed to mention the real reason why you abandoned us in the middle of nowhere," Hermione spat. "You know, I actually thought that you were above doing such a thing. Never did I believe you would stoop so low."

"Ron, you have to admit that you're in the wrong here. There is no possible way you can justify what you did to Hermione, Draco, and me," Harry added, frowning.

First Ron's ears turned red. Then came his neck, his cheeks, and eventually his entire face.

"You're taking her side? Harry, for the love of Merlin, she's dating _Draco Malfoy_!"

"Which is _her_ choice – Hermione is plenty capable of choosing for herself. Have you even talked to Draco lately? He's not exactly the Death Eater we knew," Harry said, ever the calm one in that kind of situation. "And even then we didn't really know him."

"You did all of this because I moved on," Hermione stated, her eyes widening as understanding dawned on her. "I should have known! You never grow up, do you, Ronald?"

Harry's hand flashed out and closed around Hermione's wrist when the witch reached for her wand. If it hadn't been for his Seeker reflexes, Ron would have been hexed already.

"'Mione, don't do anything rash. Ron is still our friend."

"Is he, Harry? Is he still the boy I became friends with in our first year?" Hermione asked. She glared at Ron, yanked her arm out of Harry's grasp, and stalked out of the room.

Ron expected to get chastised by Harry some more after Hermione left. All he got was a disappointed look and sigh before Harry went back to his own office.

* * *

><p>"He's taking care of a patient right now," Cassie said, offering Hermione a sympathetic smile when she stormed into St. Mungo's. "It shouldn't take too long before you can talk to him."<p>

"Thanks, Cassie," Hermione replied softly, the anger drained out of her for the moment, although she knew it would rise again when she saw Ron. "I take it you saw what Ronald did, then."

"Healer Malfoy was upset too. Someone asked if he had seen the Prophet today and it took three of his coworkers to hold him back."

Hermione smiled slightly. There was no denying that Draco had a temper as fierce as her own.

Glancing around the room, Hermione noticed that half of the people waiting had the Daily Prophet in hand. She rolled her eyes at the looks she got, and resisted the urge to draw her wand when she overheard a few remarks made by the mothers of some children.

"Thank you for fixing my head, Healer Malfoy."

"It wasn't a problem at all, Nicholas. Just try not to give yourself another eye again, okay, son?"

"I'll try my best!"

Draco clapped the boy on the shoulder before sending him back to his anxious mum. He caught sight of Hermione, held up a finger, signaling for her to wait a minute, and walked over to one of the wizards reading Rita Skeeter's column.

"Excuse me, sir, but I'm afraid that I can't serve anyone that reads that kind of rubbish. This is a paparazzi free zone, and we also disapprove of seeing the Daily Prophet here as well."

"Of course, Healer Malfoy," the man said, arching an eyebrow. He folded up the newspaper so it fit in his pocket, tucking it inside once he was done. He respected the healer standing in front of him, and he honored his request, although he'd be retelling the story to his wife when he got home.

Draco felt that the patient, or relative of a patient, would spread the news with others, but there was nothing he could do to stop him, and besides, Draco just wanted to make sure Hermione was okay.

"You want to get away from here?" he asked, stepping up next to her. "It's a slow day and I think they can spare me. What about you?"

"Gina was practically shoving me into the floo network when she saw what Ron did."

"I can believe that," Draco said. He glanced at Cassie, who waved, and started walking to the elevator.

"Where did you want to go?"

"How about going someplace Muggle?" Draco suggested. "That way we won't see any of Skeeter's 'writing' about."

"That's a good idea," Hermione replied, kissing Draco's cheek as the elevator doors closed. He was incredibly thoughtful and was the sweetest thing when it came to her and other people he cared about. Why hadn't she noticed that before? It could have saved her plenty of heartbreak involving Ron.

"I happen to be full of them," Draco said with a small smirk.

Hermione shot Draco a look but he pretended not to notice, instead offering her his arm once they were on the ground floor of St. Mungo's. The former smiled at her boyfriend's antics and allowed him to lead the way.

Once they were outside, Draco slipped into an alley with no warning, causing Hermione to panic and close her hand around her wand. They didn't need to apparate to get to a Muggle area of London, so the only reason Hermione could think of for hiding was that someone was following them.

"Draco?" Hermione whispered. "What is it? What – or who – did you see? Should we run? Disapparate?"

"Hermione, please be quiet for just a second," Draco hissed, craning his neck to peer out from around the corner of the brick wall they were pressed against. Hermione's eyes narrowed, but she obeyed.

His gray eyes scanning the crowd, Draco wished for the first time in his life that he had horrible eyesight and that that was why he saw Benjamin Warrant a second ago. Maybe he was imagining things. Maybe his paranoia was so bad he was starting to hallucinate. But no, of course not, because Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger were involved and together the two of them simply attracted life-threatening situations, or at least dangerous ones.

"There's a Death Eater on the streets," Draco told Hermione quietly. He maneuvered his arm so her hand was clutched tightly in his and continued speaking. "He's the one that came to my flat the other day. We're going to have to escape inconspicuously so these Muggles don't get hurt in the cross-fire."

Hermione nodded, her mind already formulating a plan. "A little transfiguration should do the trick. I would normally just change into my Animagus form, but I certainly can't do that now. Alright, this might feel odd…"

Before Draco could process what Hermione was doing, his hair grew longer, shaggier, and light brown. His clothes were altered – mostly his shoes, Hermione called them Converse – and she also told him that his eyes had changed color so that they were green.

"Good, I would hardly recognize you if I hadn't been the one to do all this," Hermione said appraisingly. She waved her wand over herself and her hair straightened, turning as black as Harry's, and she made her eyes a shade darker as well. "Now we're ready to go."

Hermione was the one to actually start moving first. She flashed Draco a quick smile over her shoulder and stepped out of the alley.

"Now, where were we going before we got interrupted?" Hermione asked casually. Draco was marveling over her magical ability and it took him a moment to come up with an answer to her question.

"I heard there was a pizza place that opened up somewhere in Muggle London. I haven't the foggiest clue what pizza is, but I know you like it, and I figured we could see if the place was any good," Draco said, clearing his throat. He glanced around subtly and wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not that he could no longer spot Benjamin.

"How far away is it?"

"Not too far from here, if I'm not mistaken. Do you see him anywhere?" Draco didn't need to specify who 'him' was. He was positive that Hermione would know what he meant.

"He's tall, right? With black hair and a scar running down his face, and really bright blue eyes?"

"Yes," Draco responded, amazed that Hermione could remember that much from one look.

Hermione shook her head, but checked the crowd again to be safe. "I don't see him. That either means we should be glad, or very worried."

"I was thinking the exact same thing."

A hand on Draco's shoulder made him jump. How had he been recognized? Hermione had altered his appearance, hadn't she? The couple exchanged a panicked look before Draco turned around.

"Excuse me, could you direct me to King's Cross Station?"

Draco relaxed visibly as he pointed the tourist in the right direction. Hermione, on the other hand, did not let down her guard, and continued to watch for the Death Eater Draco had met.

"We're paranoid, we are," Draco mused when the lady had gone to relay the information to her family. "And here I was thinking that we were about to die."

Hermione said nothing, weaving through the sea of people with ease that came from going to school with hundreds of others. She wanted to fool herself into thinking they were safe, but she knew better. It was a good thing Hermione had spent such a long time around Harry; she could count on thinking clearly even while panicking.

"I think he's actually gone," Draco said. Hermione made the mistake of glancing at him and decided that for the time being, she would keep her thoughts to herself.

They went along with the flow of the crowd for a while longer, and even Hermione began to wonder if the man had mysteriously disappeared. She hadn't seen him for a good five minutes, and she had been looking around every second or so.

Draco tugged on Hermione's hand and she followed him into an Italian restaurant. She still hadn't transfigured them back to themselves, and she was fairly sure that the charms wouldn't wear off without her prompting either. All Hermione had to do was stop holding Draco's hand like it was her life line.

"So what is pizza, exactly?" Draco asked, waiting until the hostess had left to talk. He stared at the menu, his eyebrows furrowing together as he read it.

Hermione chuckled and opened her mouth to answer, but she was cut off by a waiter. She tilted her head to the side and ordered two Italian sodas. Hermione figured Draco might as well enjoy the whole experience.

"Pizza is…well, I don't know how to describe it, exactly. I grew up with it so I know what it is. It has layers, I guess. The bottom layer is crust, then there's tomato sauce, then cheese, and whatever toppings you want," Hermione explained. "A lot of Muggles and Muggleborns love it, including myself, but you already know that much."

"It sounds interesting," Draco said sincerely. "You can order. I don't trust myself." He set his menu down on the table and grinned at Hermione.

"Okay, if you don't mind having mushrooms on top of ch…"

Hermione trailed off, staring at the entrance to the restaurant. _You're kidding me, _she groaned internally. _Is he following Draco? How does he even know it IS Draco? He ought to be a stranger to everyone he knows, and the only exception should be me!_

"'Mione?"

"The Death Eater walked in," Hermione mumbled, picking up her Italian soda only to put it down again. "I think he's staying, too."

"Looks like lunch will have to wait, then, huh?"

Hermione cracked a small smile. "I guess so. Take it up with him if you're unhappy about our plans being ruined."

"Should we stay here or escape? I'm sure this place has a back door we could use," Draco said. Their waiter came by again, and since neither Draco nor Hermione wanted to arouse suspicion, they ordered a medium-sized pizza and sent the waiter on his way.

"And I was so looking forward to seeing your reaction at your first taste of pizza."

"Sometimes it's awfully hard to decipher when you're being sarcastic, love."

"I'll leave it up to you to decide whether I was being sarcastic or not," Hermione said, grinning. _Strange, how I can joke with Draco when I'm worrying for our lives. Well, for all I know, that Death Eater doesn't mean us harm anyway. Huh, and Pansy Parkinson is my best friend_, Hermione thought, knowing that she was being delusional and telling herself as much.

Draco watched as Benjamin was seated four tables away from him and Hermione. Throughout the meal Hermione fidgeted as much as a bird, and Draco couldn't help but get annoyed. They were in disguise, they were fine, and Benjamin wasn't going to speak to them any time soon. Draco was worried too, but Hermione was blowing everything out of proportion.

She had a feeling she was bothering Draco with all of her anxiety, but one could never be too careful. Hermione didn't want to take any chances. Not only would she be in danger if the Death Eater realized who they were, Draco would be as well, and she didn't want to risk his life in a fight.

"Let's go already," Draco sighed. "You're obviously not going to ease up until he's gone, so we might as well leave first."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said quietly as she stowed her wallet away in her bag. "I just can't help but think that something is going to go wrong."

"I know, 'Mione, and I understand, but if he wanted to harm us he would have done so already," Draco reminded her. He stood and, seeing Hermione's expression, laced his fingers through hers. "If it helps, I haven't been completely relaxed this entire time either. I just hide it better."

Hermione rolled her eyes and waited until she and Draco could not be seen before she apparated to his flat. Despite the fact that things had gone smoothly that day, she had a feeling something bad was going to happen soon, which was ironic because she had previously questioned Harry whenever he spoke along those same lines.

Draco sat down on his couch, bringing Hermione with him. She didn't protest and curled up, leaning her head on his shoulder before she remembered what had brought her to him after her meeting with Ron.

"Have you found out anything more about Astoria's alleged pregnancy?" Hermione asked, interrupting the silence that had lapsed between them.

Wincing, Draco replied, "No, I've honestly been avoiding her. She'll only make a big deal out of whatever I say."

"You might want to clear things up before she talks with your mother," Hermione said thoughtfully.

Draco's eyes widened, now their natural color. "Bollocks."

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, so I'm right rubbish with writing articles because I've hardly ever read a newspaper in my life, and that makes me even more grateful for Cat. I know I've already said this, but thank you very much :) I'm already halfway through chapter fifteen, guys, so you won't have to wait too long. I think you'll be okay with the wait, though, when you see what it contains.

See that little blue button? Click it ;D


	15. Chapter Fifteen

November 28th, 2011

A/N: Chapter fifteen! My God, isn't this exciting guys? How long do you think this story should be? I think it might end up being well over thirty chapters, and then there's the sequel centered around Scorpius and Rose. Oh, and Scorpius is NOT going to be an only child, I have big plans for him and his siblings. Rose and Hugo get a sister too! I'm so excited :D Oh, and slight warning, this chapter might be slightly fluffy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Fifteen

In her dream, Hermione saw everyone she cared about dying. She had to watch as the wall fell on Fred, without her around to help save him, and she had to experience Harry being carried into the courtyard by Hagrid once again. Hermione had had this nightmare plenty of times before and she was used to it. But now, Draco had gotten pulled in as well.

Hermione's eyes widened in horror as Voldemort shot the Killing Curse at Draco. She tried to scream, but she couldn't, and when she woke up she discovered that she was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

"Hey, it's okay," Harry's voice said as his face came into focus. "Hermione, are you alright?"

Nodding slowly, Hermione sat up and stifled a yawn. Awful dreams always drained her energy. "Yeah, Harry, I'm alright." She blinked. "What are you doing in Ginny's room?"

"She sent me in here to find something. Do you know where her Quidditch jersey is?" Harry asked, rubbing Hermione's back comfortingly since he knew she was lying when she reassured him.

"I'll get it," Hermione offered, standing up. She rummaged through Ginny's things and found the jersey in question, tossing it to Harry once she had it in hand.

Harry didn't leave, though. He continued to look at Hermione, and she sighed, knowing she had better distract him before he got over-protective again. It wasn't like he could just stop her from reliving the worst parts of the Battle of Hogwarts.

"Do you think Molly would mind if I invited Draco here for Christmas?"

"I think she would be fine with it, 'Mione, but I dunno about the others. Fred and George, maybe, once they got a good prank in. Ginny is dying to see him again because you two are dating now. Bill and Charlie never really knew him, and they're happy as long as you are. But Ron…"

Hermione snorted. "Harry, I honestly don't care what Ronald thinks right now."

"Er, I wasn't going to say Ron will be upset. I was actually trying to tell you that he's bringing Lavender."

"You have _got_ to be joking."

"If only I was, 'Mione. If only I was."

* * *

><p>It took some explaining to Molly and Ginny, but Hermione eventually got to floo to Draco's flat through their network. She stepped out of Draco's fireplace after dusting herself off and looked around, hoping he was there. Hermione wasn't about to holler her boyfriend's name at the top of her lungs, only to seem like an idiot when it turned out he wasn't in, so she kept quiet and instead poked her head into Draco's bedroom.<p>

Hermione smiled slightly when she saw Draco sleeping peacefully. Unlike her, nightmares didn't seem to plague him. She hated to wake him, so she sat down on the edge of his bed, her eyes on the door, and occupied herself with her own thoughts.

If Ron was bringing Lavender to the Burrow for Christmas, no one could complain about Hermione bringing Draco. She still had to check with Molly, but Harry was probably right in thinking that she would welcome Draco with open arms – or half open arms.

As much as she tried to mask it, Hermione was extremely agitated at the fact that Ron dared to bring the girl he had cheated on her with to a holiday meant for family. Granted, neither she nor Harry was truly a part of the Weasley family by blood, but they were members in every way that counted.

"What brings you here?" Draco asked, wrapping his arms around Hermione's waist and pulling her down next to him.

"I didn't know you'd woken up," Hermione said, a bit uncomfortable with their position at first. Draco noticed and made to release her, but Hermione stopped him and rested her cheek against his chest.

"I was surprised you were in my room at first, but I'm perfectly okay with it. Stop by any time you like," Draco replied, grinning down at Hermione even though she couldn't see his face.

Hermione had a feeling Draco was teasing her, though, and his comment made her laugh. "If we're done being ridiculous…I wanted to know if you'd mind spending our first Christmas together at the Burrow."

Draco grew quiet, and Hermione feared that he wouldn't want to accompany her. She bit her lip as she considered telling him about Lavender, and was relieved when Draco spoke because that meant she didn't have to.

"I'd be delighted to go, 'Mione," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"Good," Hermione mumbled, snuggling closer to him. "Oh, how did your meeting with your mother go?"

Brushing Hermione's hair out with his fingers, Draco scrunched up his nose and took a deep breath. "I suppose it went well enough," he answered. "She wasn't very pleased with me – she hates it when she has to find things out through a newspaper rather than in person - but she's siding with me, I think. She's going to talk to everyone she knows to try and sort out what's real and what's fake in Astoria's story."

"Daphne knows what's going on. I saw her the other day. Mostly we spent the time getting to know each other, but I heard enough to be certain that she knows what her sister is up to."

"She didn't tell you anything?" Draco asked, frowning. He would have expected Daphne to help him out, especially since the whole problem was the fault of her younger sibling.

Hermione pulled back so she could look at Draco and stay close to him at the same time. "Of course she didn't tell me anything. Daphne's still loyal to her sister, even if her sister is nutters. She said she'd try and talk Astoria around, but that's the most she can do, and I understand that completely. You can't exactly blame her."

"I suppose not," Draco said, although his tone suggested he thought otherwise. Hermione couldn't hold it against him, even if she had wanted to – he had grown up an only child and he'd never been particularly close to anyone else. At least she had had Harry, Ron, and later, Ginny to look out for.

While Hermione mulled over that thought, Draco buried his nose in her soft, frizzy curls and closed his eyes. He was perfectly content to just stay there like that for any number of hours, but Hermione didn't like to be idle for long unless she was reading, so he knew they would have to get up eventually.

"Any more surprise visits from Death Eaters?"

"No, and I'm quite happy about that. Not that I ever expected my life to turn out normal," Draco remarked.

"I didn't expect mine to turn out normal, either, after I found out magic was real and met Harry. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Yeah, me either, 'Mione."

* * *

><p>Hermione groaned and pulled her blanket over her head as Ginny screamed "HAPPY CHRISTMAS" in her ear. She loved the holiday too, but Ginny just took it all over the top.<p>

"Come on, we have to get ready and escape before Mum catches us and makes us clean the whole damn house!"

"That's actually a fairly good incentive," Hermione sighed. She rolled off of her cot on the floor of Ginny's room, reluctantly getting to her feet. "Happy Christmas, Gin. And do all of your siblings act like little children, the way you do, on this particular day of the year?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, they do," Ginny replied happily. Hermione shot her a small smile before she got dressed.

She didn't have to ponder what to wear for very long. Hermione had gotten into the habit of wearing one of Molly Weasley's hand-made sweaters every year for Christmas, along with a pair of well-worn jeans she personally loved. She knew Ginny disapproved of her not dressing up, but why put on a show if you were just spending time with people who accepted you for you anyway?

"Are you going to pick Draco up or is he going to floo here?" Ginny asked, brushing out her mane of red hair.

"I thought I'd go pick him up," Hermione said, tying her own curls into a ponytail. "He's still a bit, um, hesitant about coming today."

"You're joking! We've got to be the most inviting family in all of England," Ginny exclaimed indignantly. Hermione rolled her eyes and waved at her friend before slipping out the door.

Hermione couldn't begrudge Draco his slight fear of the Weasley bunch. Ginny was the youngest and she had dueled more Death Eaters than most Aurors could hope to claim. The talent only got stronger from there.

Well, Hermione had to admit that wasn't true. Maybe it was post-break-up feelings that caused her to think so, but she briefly reflected on the fact that Ginny had twice the power Ron did. Ron was away from home for a few months and he disappeared. Ginny got her heart broken by the boy she had loved since she was nine and she led a rebellion – which was, needless to say, very illegal. To be fair, Ron had been doing illegal things too, but at least Ginny saw her activities through to the end.

_Merlin, Hermione, stop being so mean. Ron doesn't deserve this kind of…internal…treatment. He's a good person_, Hermione chastised herself. She took a deep breath to calm herself and flooed to Draco's apartment, barely pausing a second as she gave the password that would allow her to step out of his fireplace.

"Hi love, you ready to go?" Hermione called. She nearly tripped over a pile of presents as she stepped towards the kitchen. "What in the-" She couldn't see why Draco would have so many gifts left unopened. She hadn't even known he could wrap a box, much less tie a bow on top.

"Oh bugger, I was hoping you wouldn't see those," Draco said, pulling his Muggle shirt on over his head as he walked up to Hermione. She looked at the t-shirt closely and grinned.

"Draco, I had no idea you liked the Beatles, or even knew who they were. They're my mum's favorite band."

"What beetles?" Draco asked, dumbfounded.

Hermione blinked before she laughed out loud. "I suppose it doesn't matter if you don't know who they are, but I will be teaching you later. At the Weasley's, I doubt even Harry will recognize the men on your shirt, although Arthur might ask you some questions."

"Should I be scared?"

"No, of course not," Hermione said, shaking her head. "I keep telling you that you have nothing to be afraid of."

"I suppose you have a point, because Merlin knows everyone that's sane is afraid to get on your bad side."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, love," Draco replied, smiling and winking at Hermione, who sighed in exasperation. The look in her eyes clearly said _what am I going to do with this one?_

* * *

><p>As soon as Hermione opened the door to the Burrow, a pair of arms engulfed her. She was already sure to whom they belonged and started laughing immediately, though the sound was muffled as her face was pressed against the person's chest.<p>

"Happy Christmas to you too, Harry," Hermione said dryly, leaning back to grin at the world's savior, who could still be very childish whenever he wished.

"Happy Christmas 'Mione!" Hermione was reminded of how she had been woken up that morning, and that only caused her to grin wider.

Harry released Hermione, and for the first time seemed to notice Draco. It took him a moment, but Harry managed to smile and nodded to the other wizard.

"Happy Christmas, Malfoy."

"Same to you, Potter," Draco replied. _Things are off to a good start so far…_

Hermione beamed at the two of them and led the way inside, chatting happily and without a care now that the most important men in her life had greeted each other cordially. She hadn't confronted exactly how panicked she had been about Harry and Draco meeting again until then, and it was nice to get rid of that stress she didn't know she had.

Tossing a glance over her shoulder, Hermione saw Harry and Draco animatedly discussing the latest game between the Bulgarians and some other team she had never heard of in all the time she had been in a magical community. She caught the name Viktor and eventually tuned in.

"Yeah, and he went straight to the ground. He's a great flyer but who does something as crazy as that? He must be mental," Draco said. "Reminds me of you in our first year, actually, Potter, especially because you both caught the Snitch."

"Are you talking about Viktor?" Hermione asked. "Was he alright after he hit the ground?"

"Footage showed he was absolutely fine, 'Mione," Harry assured her. As observant as always, he noticed the confusion plainly showing in Draco's expression and chuckled. "Krum and Hermione are friends, Malfoy. Remember how he took her to the Yule Ball? I doubt anyone could forget that. Parvati was completely baffled by Hermione's appearance and date."

Hermione sighed reminiscently. She hardly talked to her roommates from Hogwarts anymore, but that wasn't too big of a loss since they weren't best friends or anything back then. Still, thinking about their years as students made her feel a touch too sentimental for her liking.

"That was funny, wasn't it? It was like no one recognized me. I felt like Cinderella after her fairy godmother got to her."

"What?" Draco wondered aloud. Hermione exchanged a smile with Harry and patted Draco's arm.

"It's nothing to worry about, just Harry and me being silly."

"I beg your pardon, you're the only one being silly here," Harry corrected her, assuming an affronted manner before he dropped the act and laughed. "Malfoy, if you want to survive a day here, you'd best learn to mask any cluelessness. The twins prey on it, and they thrive off of those careless people who let their guards down around them. Be prepared, and don't say I didn't warn you."

Draco's eyes grew comically large, as if he sincerely thought Fred and George would do him serious harm, which only made Harry laugh more. Hermione coughed to mask her own amusement and brought Draco into the sitting room against his protests.

"We don't bite, dear. Sit down, make yourself comfortable, and happy Christmas," Molly said, smiling kindly at Draco before she went back to the kitchen to finish prepping the meals for the day.

Out of nowhere, Draco slowly revealed a mound of presents. It took Hermione a moment, but she understood that he was trying to get the others to see he had changed, and that those were the gifts she had seen in his flat when she went to get him. She gave Draco a hug before she let him sit down – she had really gotten lucky this time.

"Those are for the others, aren't they?" Hermione asked, her arm brushing against Draco's as she sat next to him.

Draco shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, yes."

"Don't try and pass this off as something you couldn't care less about," Hermione said with a grin. "You're practically dying to see how they'll all react. What'd you get everyone, anyway?"

"If I tell you, the others might hear!"

Hermione laughed, covering her mouth with her hand to quiet the sound. "Who are you and what have you done to Draco Malfoy?"

"I ate him," Draco answered dryly, smirking.

"Shush, you."

To both twenty something year olds, their relationship had progressed wonderfully. They agreed on nearly every single topic there was to discuss, and when they argued they did so reasonably. To Hermione, her conversations with Draco were certainly stimulating for the mind, and she enjoyed them because in her past relationship with Ron, she had had to do far too much explaining, until her sentences could be passed off as actual explanations.

_Think of the devil and he shall appear_, Hermione thought silently. Draco was learning about her Muggle ways quickly, but she had yet to tell him about that one.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione."

"Happy Christmas Ron," Hermione replied, sounding much less stiff than the tall man in front of her. Her eyes flicked to the person standing next to Ron. "Happy Christmas, Lavender."

Lavender's cheeks turned pink and she continued to stare at the ground. "Happy Christmas to you as well."

Draco locked gazes with Hermione and gave her hand a squeeze. She shook her head slightly, the action taking so little time that if Draco hadn't been watching her closely, he would have missed it.

In all honesty, Hermione was just glad that Ron was doing the respectable thing by dating Lavender, who deserved to be welcomed into the Weasley family properly. Hermione could only hope that Ginny wouldn't do anything drastic.

"You aren't going to visit your parents for at least a little while?" Ron asked.

"They're in France right now," said Hermione. "Mum thought it would be nice to go back to the place where she was born."

"And you didn't go with them? You love France!"

"Glad to know you listened sometimes, Ronald," was all that made up Hermione's reply.

Lavender didn't seem to know what to do with herself. She was clutching Ron's arm, her eyes darting around the room as if Death Eaters were filling it instead of former members of the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army. Ron looked annoyed at her behavior, but he didn't say anything, and Hermione commended him for it.

"Oh, Ronnie, you're back from getting Lavender! You can go help the twins de-gnome the garden before Bill and Fleur get here with Victoire and Teddy. We don't want one of those little devils biting the poor children again," Molly said, sticking her head into the room for a minute second.

If she had been frightened before, Lavender was panicked now. Hermione took pity on her once Ron grudgingly left and brought her over to Ginny.

"Gin, Lavender's been writing that advice column in the Daily Prophet you like," Hermione informed Ginny. "You know, the one part that isn't a complete waste of time in that awful newspaper."

"Oh! You write that?" Lavender nodded timidly, and Ginny plowed on. "I thought that charm to keep hair from frizzing was brilliant. It worked great for Hermione that one time I managed to get her to sit still long enough."

Satisfied that Lavender and Ginny were conversing companionably, Hermione went back to Draco, who promptly shoved a box at her.

"What in the world?" Hermione asked, laughing. "Draco, what is this?"

"Your present, of course, so open it like a normal person."

"Oh, not yet, love. We wait until after dinner, when everyone can open their presents because Molly is always in a tizzy getting everything ready," Hermione said, smiling as she kissed Draco's cheek. "But thank you very much. Your gift is already under the tree with the others. I'll go put this one there too."

Hermione wandered over to the Christmas tree and set the box underneath it, on top of dozens of others. Ever since the war ended and the survivors got rewarded for their undercover and known work, more money was spent on presents. Christmas seemed like an even more momentous occasion because it was a time when everyone was at the Burrow, and they also used it to show their appreciation and love for each other by giving gifts, so Hermione loved that day like no other.

"Auntie 'Mione!" Teddy shouted, wriggling out of his godfather's arms and running over to Hermione. He flung himself at her legs, causing the witch to laugh. He changed his hair so it was curly and brown like hers, which made Draco smile from his place on the couch.

"Hello cutie! Have you been enjoying your day so far? Have Uncle Bill and Auntie Fleur been spoiling you rotten?" Hermione asked, grinning at the two year old as she picked him up, balancing him on her hip.

Teddy's eyebrows furrowed together. "What does that mean?" He had a pretty good vocabulary for his age, seeing as he spent so much time around Harry, Hermione and his grandmother Andromeda, but some things still confused him.

"Never mind, Teddy, forget I said that last bit. Have you opened any presents yet?"

His expression clearing, Teddy began to describe, in great detail, the toys he had gotten from the people he had already seen that morning. Hermione listened to him talk, unable to stop smiling. He was the sweetest thing in the world, and he constantly switched his eye color to match it with whatever mood he was in. When he told Hermione that he was sad his parents weren't there, his eyes briefly changed to the color black, but then they reverted back to their natural color, a gray blue, as he talked about a dinosaur Harry had given him.

Meanwhile, Draco watched, not able to help but think that someday, Hermione would be a great mother, the way she thought he would be a great father.

"Teddy, love, I'm going to go see if Grandma wants some help, okay?" Hermione said, kissing Teddy's forehead and setting him on the ground before she walked to the kitchen.

"Hi Hermione," Molly greeted her, stopping to give Hermione a warm hug. "Why aren't you out there mingling?"

"I came to ask if you wanted any help."

"Oh no, darling, it's fine, I've got everything under control. You get back out there and make sure Draco feels comfortable here."

Hermione figured she should let Molly get back to work, else she start fretting about whether all of the food was prepped, and hovered in the doorway joining the kitchen and the sitting room. Teddy was attempting to teach Victoire how to say his name, and watching them interact made Hermione chuckle quietly. Harry came up behind her, saw what she was looking at, and smiled as well.

"Oi! You two! Look up!" Fred called from across the room.

Harry tilted his head up first and rolled his eyes when he spotted mistletoe. "Fred, you do realize we can just step out, right?"

"Oh, no you can't. That mistletoe is from our joke shop. You can't get out until you two kiss," said Fred with a devilish grin. (A/N: Guys, if you could please look down below, it's really important.)

* * *

><p>AN: First off, the second half of the Christmas special will be in chapter sixteen. SECONDLY, AND THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT, I am going to be working on my parents' Christmas gift which is a sort of small story about their life together, and that will be taking up a lot of my time. I'll try to get the next chapter going so I can update before Christmas, but I dunno if that's possible. Just wanted to let you all know so that I don't find an angry mob on the other side of my door someday.

See that little blue button down there? Click it ;D


	16. Chapter Sixteen

December 2nd, 2011

A/N: It's the day before my mother's birthday on December 2nd, everyone, so I just wanted to wish her a happy birthday (: I love you Mom! Thank you for supporting me in my dream to become an author and for always being there for me and raising me to be the person I am. And thank you, Cat, for editing this! :D Oh, and…there are some Starkid references in here xD Thank you J.K. Rowling for creating Teddy!

Disclaimer (I sometimes forget to do these): I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Sixteen

Hermione stared at Harry upon hearing that she would have to kiss him to escape from under the mistletoe. _I suppose it wouldn't be too bad. We've been best friends for years. If I can hug him, I can kiss him_, Hermione told herself. Harry seemed to be thinking the same thing, at least in her eyes, and after a moment he shrugged.

What neither of the two was aware of, however, was Ginny Weasley's clenched jaw, and the fact that Draco was the one holding her back from jumping up and protesting.

While Harry and Hermione internally prepared themselves to kiss their best friend, Draco spoke to Ginny rapidly and in hushed tones, retaining his snarky attitude because he knew he had nothing to worry about. He wished he could say the same about the Weaselette.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked, grabbing Ginny's arm and pulling her down onto the couch next to him.

"Don't tell me you're completely at ease about watching those two snog!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "They're not going to snog. Your brother clearly said they just had to kiss to get out. And I doubt they would kiss of their own free will, much less make out. Besides, Potter's obviously head over heels for you, has been for a while, I'm sure. You have nothing to worry about and neither do I."

"Hermione's been telling me that ever since they got back from the horcrux hunt," Ginny said, much more quiet than she had been before.

"How come you haven't started believing her yet?"

Ginny's brown eyes flashed with impatience, anger, and underneath it all, shame. "Have you seen them interact? I spent years adoring Harry and having him think of me as a little sister. I couldn't believe it when he finally gave me the time of day. I'm still trying to get to know him as well as Hermione does."

Draco hadn't been expecting that confession. He had actually thought that Ginny would simply assure him that she did indeed believe Hermione, but he should have learned by then that females usually did the unexpected.

"Ginny, Hermione never has and never will love Potter as more than her brother. You're the girl in his life, and I'm the bloke in hers. Do they really seem like the kind of people that would cheat on someone?"

"Ronald didn't seem the type either," Ginny muttered. She coughed and looked at Draco. "If you tell my mother or father I said that, you're a dead man."

"That goes without saying, Weasley," Draco said, smiling slightly. He couldn't pretend to feel the same as Ginny, but he got where she was coming from in her insecurity, and he definitely understood her thoughts on her brother.

When Draco turned his head, he saw that Hermione and Harry had already kissed and were making their ways back to him and Ginny. He glanced at her one last time before Hermione reached him.

It only took Hermione a second to register that something was off, so she grabbed Draco's hand and pulled him out of the Burrow.

To her surprise, Draco grinned at her.

"If you try to kiss me right now I guarantee that I will run away," Draco informed her.

Hermione hadn't been sure if Draco would be displeased or not by the fact that she had kissed Harry. She was, needless to say, rather shocked when he joked about it.

"You're not upset?" Hermione asked. Draco opened his arms and she stepped into his embrace, wrapping her own arms around his torso tightly.

"Of course I'm not upset. You told me, very clearly and a very long time ago, that nothing ever happened between you and Potter. I trust you, 'Mione," Draco replied, smiling down at her. His promise to run forgotten, Hermione reached up and gave him a peck on the lips before she did the same to his cheek for being the sweetest ferret she had ever gotten to know.

Exactly ten minutes later, Draco and Hermione walked back to the house, hand in hand. Ginny looked up at them long enough for Draco to wink at her, and grinned. She winked back and continued to give Harry her full attention.

Draco smirked at Hermione, and for once she did something childish and stuck her tongue out at him. He laughed and eventually she joined him. Arthur entered the room and a small smile lit up his aging face.

Fred and Angelina were sitting by the fire, oblivious to the others in the room. George was talking to Bill while holding baby Victoire in his arms. Fleur was amusing Teddy, which wasn't a hard job, and Molly even stopped cooking long enough to wish everyone a happy Christmas again. Only Ron and Lavender appeared to be having a less than wonderful time.

"Uncle Ron," Teddy said, running up to that particular ginger. "Who's this?" He stared at Lavender, like she was the most interesting person on the planet.

"Teddy, this is Auntie Lavender."

Teddy hadn't run out of questions yet, though. "Like the color purple? Auntie 'Mione's favorite color? How do you spell that?"

Hermione looked at Draco, who was struggling to hide his amusement. She opened her mouth to chastise him, and sensing this, he instigated a kiss.

Blushing furiously, Hermione tried to sit back, but even if Draco allowed her to break the kiss, he kept her close to his side. Hermione sighed and shook her head, snuggling into the former Slytherin as she did so, making her behavior seem terribly odd. Draco was used to it by then and could guess what thoughts were running through her mind.

"Auntie 'Mione, this lady has the same name as your favorite color!" Teddy announced, suddenly popping up in front of Hermione and Draco.

"Does she now?" Hermione asked, picking Teddy up and placing him on her lap. He nodded solemnly and made himself comfortable. "Did you know I went to school with Auntie Lavender, Teddy?"

"You did? You mean the school you went to with Ron, Uncle Harry, and Uncle Draco? What was it called again? Pigfarts?" (A/N: I was totally laughing while writing this. Just thought I'd let you know!)

Hermione chuckled and kissed Teddy's forehead. "No, sweetie, our school was Hogwarts," she said. "But yes, Auntie Lavender went there with me and all of your uncles."

"Wait, how come I didn't get an 'uncle' put in front of my name?" Ron exclaimed indignantly. A bubble of laughter escaped from Hermione before she could stop it, and it took Ron a few seconds until he could focus on Lavender again.

Unlike Hermione, Draco noticed this, and he suppressed the urge to ask Weasley why he was pining after a girl that had already moved on when he was sitting right next to the one he was dating. Where was the sense in that? Was everybody sure that Ron really had a brain in that thick skull of his?

"Oh, Draco, I keep forgetting to ask. Has Astoria had the baby yet? Did your mother find anything else out? Is it a boy or a girl?" Hermione asked, tucking her feet underneath her.

Draco rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "Um, Hermione, love, can we talk about this later?"

Hermione frowned, but she nodded, much to Draco's obvious relief. Whatever he had to say must have been important, if he couldn't tell her in the Weasleys' sitting room. She mustered a smile to show him she wasn't upset at not being told what was going on immediately and Draco kissed her on her temple.

"Get a room," George teased as he walked past the couple.

Fred waited until his twin had rounded a corner before he plopped himself down next to Hermione. "Hey, Granger, can I talk to you?"

"Sure, Fred," Hermione said, straightening as she turned to the devious prankster after exchanging a glance with Draco. "What can I help you with?"

"Do you happen to know any free birds that would be willing to date someone as crazy as my brother?"

Hermione blinked. "You want me to set someone up with George?"

Fred considered that statement and shrugged. "Basically, yes. Do you know anyone that would be…compatible with him?"

"I can't say I do. Sorry, Fred," Hermione said with a sad smile. "I know you just want him to be happy, but I'm not particularly close to any girls other than Gina and Ginny, and Gina's taken and Ginny is your sister…"

"It's alright, Hermione. Thanks for trying." Fred tilted his head to the side and grinned. "Don't get too busy in front of the minors, now."

Hermione's jaw dropped, but then she closed her mouth, and opened it again, and eventually kept it closed, although her cheeks stayed colored. Draco merely laughed and tugged her closer to him.

"You know, I always thought those two were funny during school," Draco admitted when he calmed down. "I'm sure my entire house would agree, but they would never say it out loud."

"They are funny," Hermione agreed, sighing. "And they know when to draw the line. But they both seem to take great pleasure in teasing me. They don't even tease Ron or Percy this much, and they're actually related to them."

Draco chuckled and gently squeezed Hermione's shoulder. "I think it's because you give such priceless reactions, 'Mione."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You shush."

* * *

><p>Harry handed his godson another Christmas present, laughing when the two year old hugged it like it was a stuffed animal instead of a box. Hermione looked on indulgently – this one was from her.<p>

Teddy tore the wrapping paper off and ripped the box open. Draco watched, amazed by how excited the boy was. Christmas had never been that special for him, so he had never seen something like that before.

Hermione had her hands clasped in front of her, biting the inside of her cheek. She would have to explain the small vials to Teddy, but Harry could help him. It was the best thing she could come up with, and she thought that when Teddy got older, he would appreciate it more. Hermione also thought that as soon as Teddy saw the color his mother used to change her hair to, he would do it often as well.

"Auntie 'Mione? What are these?" Teddy asked, holding up the two vials.

Harry's eyes met Hermione's and he grinned. Molly positively beamed and tears actually appeared. Ron smiled in approval, and the others did the same once they understood what was happening.

"Those are my memories, sweetie. My memories of your mummy and daddy," Hermione told him.

Teddy looked down at the objects in his hand. "But how am I going to see them if they're your memories Auntie 'Mione?"

Hermione took hold of Teddy's free hand. "They're a special kind of bowl that your Uncle Harry has, Teddy. He can help you see my memories in that, okay, sweetie?"

"Okay," Teddy said, clearly not fully understanding, but grateful nonetheless. He gave Hermione a tight hug. "Thank you."

"You're welcome sweetheart," Hermione whispered in his ear. "I hope you like seeing Mummy and Daddy walk and talk, how excited they were when you were born. Remus was so happy you didn't have to go through what he did. I'm sure he's really proud of you, and I'm sure your mummy is too."

"That's what Uncle Harry says every day," Teddy told her. "How did you know that?"

Hermione chuckled and hugged Teddy again. "I guess Harry and I just think alike is all, Tedster."

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Neville and Luna walked through the door, followed by other former Order members the Weasley family was close to. To everyone's delight, Neville wouldn't leave Luna's side during the entire time they were at the Burrow, and quietly admitted to Hermione that, yes, they were indeed dating now. She of course squealed and passed the news on to Draco while Luna went around warning anyone that would listen to stay away from the mistletoe for fear of frightening the nargles and sending them flying around the house.<p>

"Longbottom's certainly in for the ride of his life," Draco commented as Hermione brought him over to the Christmas tree, sitting herself down off to the side as the children finished unwrapping their presents.

Hermione smiled. "They're sweet, and they'll be good to each other. Harry told me that during the Battle, Neville asked where Luna was and confessed that he was, and I quote, 'crazy about her'. We've been waiting for this to happen for ages."

"Now that we've gotten the sentimental crap out of the way…open your present!" Draco ordered, his fierce tone marred by the goofy grin on his face. Hermione laughed and picked the box out from the pile.

Unlike Teddy and Victoire, who was still an infant and barely walking, Hermione took the time to try and preserve the wrapping paper. Draco managed to endure that for ten seconds before he threatened to just do it for her.

Gingerly opening the box, Hermione's hand flew to her mouth. How had Draco gotten ahold of those tapes? Had Ginny or Harry helped? She spotted an envelope peeking out from under the home movies from her childhood and read the card.

_Hermione, _

_You're my sister and I love you, and I know Draco cares about you nearly as much as I do. He came to me with this proposition a while back. To be honest, at first I suspected he had an ulterior motive (_Gee thanks, Potter)_ but I soon realized he just wanted to make you happy. I'll be setting the box of tissues by your side whenever you choose to watch these. _

_Love Always, _

_Harry_

Hermione,

First of all, don't pay any attention to what Potter said. I can't believe he thought I had an ulterior motive. Anyway, I went to Potter before because I didn't have any idea what to get you, and he's your best friend. He knows you better than even I do, though I hate to have that written down. I hope you like what we've done. Consider it a gift from the both of us. I'm always going to be there for you, and I'll watch the videos with you if you want, but if you choose to watch them by yourself I completely understand. I love you.

Draco

So her two favorite boys in the entire world had collaborated to give her the most thoughtful present she had ever received. Harry noticed that Hermione was on the verge of crying first, and smiled understandingly before he gave her a hug.

"Thank you so much," Hermione whispered, her forehead resting on Harry's shoulder.

"It's the least I could do for the girl who's saved my sorry arse more times than I can remember," Harry replied, grinning. "And remember, Malfoy had something to do with it too, so don't give me all the credit."

"Yes, well, I know it was really your idea," Hermione said, offering Harry a small smile. "But he is incredibly sweet, so I'm going to let go of you now and hug him instead." She let out a kind of suppressed laugh and removed her arms from around the raven-haired Auror sitting near her.

Draco had been watching, merely watching, and was caught off guard when a less-than-calm Hermione started sobbing into his shirt. He stared at Harry in shock, unsure as to what he should do, since he had never been confronted by an emotional Granger before, but he managed to figure out what he ought to do and buried his nose in Hermione's curls.

"If I had known it would make you this emotional, I would have completely bashed Potter's idea," Draco told Hermione. She giggled and leaned back, allowing Draco to wipe the remaining tears away.

"I love them, Draco. Just like I love you and Harry," Hermione said, smiling.

"Well then, I love you too, Granger."

* * *

><p>Hermione finished saying her last goodbyes and "Happy Christmases" and giving everyone hugs while Draco shook hands with the men and kissed the women on the cheek. Harry studied Hermione for a moment, but he was assured that she was feeling alright and reluctantly handed her over to Draco, the way a father might.<p>

"Come on, before you start talking to Ginny again," Draco murmured in Hermione's ear. "Merlin knows you two can go on for hours."

Shooting him a reproachful look, Hermione held tight onto Draco's hand as he apparated to his flat. She stumbled, as she usually did during side-along apparition, and Draco caught her by the waist, smirking as she righted herself.

"Now, tell me what happened with Astoria," Hermione said, wiping the smirk right off of Draco's face.

Draco sighed and wandered into his bedroom. Hermione hung back, leaning against the doorframe.

"Let me get out of these robes and into something more comfortable and I'll tell you, I guess," Draco replied, kissing Hermione's nose. Her expression softened, so that it was not entirely obstinate but still very determined, and she nodded before going into Draco's kitchen to make some tea. She had a feeling this would be a rather long talk.

"Should I make chamomile?" Hermione wondered aloud to herself. Draco came up from behind her, looking past her hair at the stove.

"You might want some after I tell you what Astoria's done this time," he suggested.

Slightly worried, Hermione decided to make chamomile tea as a precaution, and when that was done and served Draco led her over to his couch. He set his mug down on the coffee table and sat next to Hermione, drawing her close with her back against his chest.

"Hermione, you have to promise me that you won't go on a rampage once I finish talking before I say anything," Draco said sternly.

"I promise…?" Hermione didn't see why she would want to go on a rampage on Christmas night, but Astoria did cause people to do things they normally wouldn't in their sane mind.

"I'll hold you to that promise, then. Astoria lied about being pregnant with my child."

Hermione's eyes widened. "You mean she slept with someone else?"

"Er, no, not exactly. She might be…different…but she's not a tart. She was never pregnant to begin with."

* * *

><p>AN: Cat said she called it. She's so funny xD It's sometimes hard to believe she's eighteen - no offense, you're the best beta reader that's ever existed. Here's what she said when Fred asked Hermione if she knew anyone that would go out with George: "ME! ME! I WILL GO OUT WITH GEORGE, FRED. PICK ME. PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK." Anyway, between school, my tutoring, Cat's finals...this took longer to upload than expected :P Sorry for that. But be glad I updated so fast, considering that I'm caught up in something else.

See that little blue button? Click it! :D


	17. Chapter Seventeen

December 11th, 2011

A/N: I have been sneezing every two minutes for nearly the entire day. It's driving me crazy! I've been taking medicine, to no avail. Allergies are so not totally awesome. Um, anywho, I've come up with a new incentive to get you guys to review, so you'll see what that is down below, at the end of the chapter, if you actually read that author's note. This chapter is currently un-edited because I wanted to give it to you guys and Cat is busy, which I know because I've had this done for a while, so there will be some mistakes :P And for those of you waiting for Hermione and Draco to finally have sex, that'll probably happen in the next chapter, though I'm not going into details about that. Sorry if this is taking too long for some of your guys' liking.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

You should review this. I just thought I'd say that now, because I never do xD

Chapter Seventeen

Draco watched Hermione with his eyebrows knitted together. He kept his arm around her almost rigidly, afraid that she would go and land herself in Azkaban by murdering Astoria. He hadn't even felt that mutinous when his mother told him the news – if anything, Draco had been relieved.

"Hermione…?" Draco said slowly.

"Yes?" Hermione replied calmly, shifting so that she and Draco were actually looking at each other straight on.

"You're not about to go use the big AK on Astoria, are you?"

Hermione sighed and shook her head. If Draco wasn't upset, she had no reason to be. It would be ridiculous of her to go into a frenzy because of something that didn't directly involve her.

"Oh good," Draco said, immediately relaxing. Hermione snorted and patted his hand.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to be charged of killing someone just yet," she teased, kissing his cheek.

"As I said before, oh good, because it would be very hard to date you if you were in jail," Draco told Hermione, grinning impishly. She opened her mouth to rebuke him and he stopped her by wrapping her in a tight hug.

Instead of questioning it, Hermione snuggled closer into Draco's side, closing her eyes in contentment with her forehead resting against his neck. It was nice to be able to simply sit there without worrying about being interrupted by Death Eaters for a change. Hermione still wasn't used to the fact that the war was over. Even two years after she found ways to justify keeping her guard up.

Draco was growing more and more uncomfortable with his and Hermione's position than he'd care to admit. They openly stated they loved each other, but they hadn't proved it yet, at least in his mind. He was a warm-blooded male, after all, and Hermione was the object of his affections. He was, in short, getting a tad impatient.

But, his parents had raised him right in that department. Draco wouldn't push Hermione to do anything she wasn't ready for.

"Draco?" Hermione murmured as Draco pulled her onto his lap.

"Hm?" Draco hummed.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because your little friend is poking me in the back," Hermione said, sounding a bit amused. Draco could practically hear the smile in her voice.

"Oh," was Draco's reply as his pale cheeks turned slightly pink. Hermione laughed and decided not to bother him about it anymore. It was a strange experience for her to talk about it aloud anyway.

That caused Hermione to mull over her and Ron's past relationship. They had only made love once or twice – perhaps that was why he cheated on her with Lavender, who had indeed said that Ron was only using her for fun without consequences. But Hermione hadn't been the one to blame for that, right? It was sort of hard to do those kinds of activities in a house full of Ron's relatives, including his mother. Besides, Hermione wasn't sure if she was emotionally ready for that after the first few times.

Draco, on the other hand, was more than ready to have a sex life again. As he had told Cassie, he hadn't had a girlfriend before Hermione since he was a teenager at Hogwarts. He was a volcano of sexual tension about to erupt.

He had also learned that Hermione made quite a few noises when she was sleeping. Granted, they were all extremely adorable, but he was startled to hear them whenever he thought she was awake.

Hermione let out a little breath as she napped, tickling Draco's throat. He looked down at her and decided that if he couldn't do anything other than watch her, he would sleep as well.

Sadly, though, Draco could never be left well alone. An owl hovered outside the window closest to the couch, hooting indignantly when the blonde man made no move to let it in his flat. Rolling his eyes, Draco carefully untangled himself from Hermione, and decided that whenever she was happily sleeping in his arms, they would be interrupted.

"It's nearly eleven o' clock, who could be sending a message at this bloody hour?" Draco muttered, scowling.

The owl nipped his fingers as he reached for the note – it was Astoria's. The creature had never had much patience for his mistress's ex-fiancé.

_Draco, _

_Unless I am mistaken, you still are quite single, and the Ministry Yule Ball is taking place tomorrow evening. I am without an escort, and I believe I am right in assuming you are too. Why not make it easier on both of us and go together?_

_Yours Forever,_

_Astoria Greengrass_

Draco couldn't fathom how he could go from being perfectly at ease one moment to utterly stressed the next. He had entirely forgotten about the Ministry Yule Ball. He glanced at Hermione over his shoulder. Did she expect them to go together?

Well, of course she did. They were openly dating, after all.

Draco decided to reply to Astoria's letter. It was a better option than showing up at the ball only to have her throw a tantrum again. He didn't need a repeat of his mother's birthday gala.

_Greengrass,_

_I can't go with you. Need I remind you, I have a girlfriend, who would be happy to hex you for continuously harassing me, after I do so myself._

_Sincerely (I can't begin to tell you how much),_

_Draco Malfoy_

* * *

><p>Hermione frowned at her reflection in the mirror as she tried to tame her hair so that it was less frizz and more curl. Ginny shot her a sympathetic look and muttered a charm, fixing the problem that had occupied her friend for thirty minutes in thirty seconds.<p>

"How do you do it?" Hermione asked.

"It's just a skill you're born with," Ginny replied, grinning. "Now stand up and give me a little twirl."

She rolled her eyes, but Hermione obeyed, and spun around. Ginny had chosen her dress – otherwise Hermione would have gone in slacks and a blouse. She didn't like drawing attention to herself, and recalling her fourth year made her set against dressing up, for the most part. There was just no point. The Ministry Yule Ball would be full of strangers that only knew her for her accomplishments – they didn't need to see the side of her that she rarely ever showed. Why give them the impression that she was someone else entirely?

"Hermione, stop with the scowling. You look gorgeous. Those wankers won't know what hit 'em," Ginny said, handing Hermione a pair of diamond earrings.

"What's Teddy doing tonight? Do you know if Harry plans on taking him? The Yule Ball is considered a family thing."

"As far as I know, Teddy's staying with Andromeda, who refuses to attend, and I quote, 'such a frivolous affair'."

"She actually said that?" asked Hermione, laughing as she put the earrings on. "Even I don't talk like that, and I'm me."

"Exactly," Ginny said. "If I ever doubted she wasn't raised as a Black…"

Hermione shook her head and chuckled. She smoothed out imaginary wrinkles in her deep blue dress, slipped her feet into heels she didn't really want to wear, and walked around Ginny's room for a bit before she actually went outside.

"Hermione, if you keep going out like that, I'm going to have to start fending off a lot of single wizards…" Harry commented.

"Oh, Harry, it's just a dress. I don't even look that good; you should see Ginny. Besides, between you, Draco, George, Fred, Charlie, Bill, and your girlfriend, everyone will be far too scared to even talk to me," Hermione replied, smiling.

"You have a point," Harry said, a smile tugging on the corners of his own mouth. "But you look beautiful, 'Mione. Don't be afraid to tell me if the ferret does anything inappropriate."

Hermione snorted and gave Harry a hug before she went out back behind the Burrow to check whether she needed to cast a warming charm on herself or not. She did. Shivering, she pulled her wand out of a hidden pocket on her dress, and wandered back inside to inform Ginny of the chilling temperature.

Draco was waiting for her there, talking to Harry with his hands in his pants pockets. Ron was picking Lavender up at the flat she shared with Parvati and Padma, so he wasn't around to glare at Hermione's boyfriend and at Harry for being civil to said boyfriend.

"Oh, look at my two favorite boys," Hermione crooned, grinning when the two turned to face her.

"Look at my gorgeous girl," Draco said, crossing the distance separating him from Hermione so he could kiss her cheek.

"I think I may vomit," Harry announced, going into the kitchen to spare himself of the nauseating sweetness that was Draco and Hermione's way of interacting with each other.

Draco chose to ignore Harry's statement and to Hermione asked, "Are you ready to go? We'll cause a riot if everyone arrives at the same time."

"A very fair point," Hermione agreed. "I don't know where the others are right now…let me send a quick message to them." Hermione cast her patronus and sent the silvery otter on its way. Harry poked his head into the room where she was and waved before he went back to helping Molly with whatever she was doing. The rest sent their own Patronuses back to Hermione, bidding their farewells, and when she was done listening, Hermione told Draco that they could leave.

"I never knew you could send a message through a Patronus," Draco said. Hermione didn't know that he couldn't cast one, and he'd like to keep it that way until he learned how. That was actually what he had been talking to Harry about. It cost all of Draco's pride to ask, but he wanted to be able to cast a Patronus, and Potter was the best candidate for a teacher.

"It's something only the Order knew how to do until Kingsley decided that it would be more efficient if his Aurors could too," Hermione replied absently, tucking her wand back into its sewn in compartment. "Come on, let's go face the music."

"What?"

"Muggle saying."

* * *

><p>"That wasn't entirely horrific," Hermione observed when she and Draco were back at his flat, cuddling on his sofa and watching the television.<p>

"I attribute that to the fact that I had an absolutely stunning date tonight," Draco said, his voice implying that he would not be argued with. Hermione rolled her eyes, wanting to shoot down the compliment, but instead tightened her arms around Draco's torso.

A few minutes passed in companionable silence, Hermione lost in thought as Draco struggled to focus on whatever Muggle show the telly was playing. After more time went by, Draco couldn't keep the second letter he had gotten a secret, and squeezed Hermione's shoulder, partly because he didn't know how she would take the news, and partly because he wanted to know if she was awake.

Hermione looked up at Draco and smiled slightly, then blinked. Something was different. Draco was practically bursting at the seams, and she didn't know why.

"Love, I've been called away on a business trip," Draco said, the words tumbling out of his mouth in a rush.

"Oh," replied Hermione, surprised that such a thing would cause Draco to act the way he was. "For how long, and are you going anywhere exciting?"

Draco obviously hadn't expected Hermione to react with questions. He had to start giving her more credit than he currently was. She wasn't a simpering pansy – pun intended – that needed to be with him every moment of the day. Draco had to keep in mind that Hermione was different than most of the chits he knew.

"I'm going to be in some part of France – I'm not entirely sure where – for about two weeks."

Hermione suspected that she would miss Draco horribly while he was gone, but she kissed his cheek and said, "Have fun." She didn't want to burden him with her petty feelings. He wouldn't think less of her for it, but Hermione still didn't need Draco to know how much the thought of spending two weeks without him hurt.

_That's it?_ Draco thought as he kissed the top of Hermione's head and held her close. _Maybe if I tell her the rest…_

"I have to leave tomorrow."

"Oh," repeated Hermione, in a much quieter tone. "How are you travelling?"

"Muggle airplanes," Draco answered. "I've never been on one, and they actually do sound interesting. Riding in one can't be much different than riding a broom, and it is certainly less dangerous, and would you mind flat-sitting for me?"

"Sorry, what was that last bit?" Hermione asked. She had heard him perfectly, but she needed to make sure that Draco Malfoy had indeed requested she flat-sit.

"Would you mind flat-sitting for me?" Draco was openly sheepish when Hermione straightened up so that she was facing him. _Sheepish is something I have never paired with Draco…but he is rather adorable when he feels it,_ Hermione sighed inwardly. _I'm going to miss his sarcastic, witty, yet undoubtedly loving self._

"I'll jump on any chance to get away from the Burrow for a bit," Hermione admitted. "It's been unbearably awkward there. The twins try to chase that feeling away as much as they can, but they're there for hardly more than two hours on weekdays."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Draco said sympathetically, pressing a chaste kiss to Hermione's lips. "I'd best pack, if I'm to travel the Muggle way."

"I'll help, if you'd like," Hermione offered. Draco smiled at her, and she slipped her hand into his, letting him lead her into his bedroom.

* * *

><p>Apparently Harry Potter truly was the Boy-Who-Couldn't-Leave-Well-Enough-Alone. He had been corresponding with Hermione's parents with the help of Ron's small owl Pigwidgeon, for their daughter's sake more than anything else. Harry was affectionate of the Dr. Grangers, from the fleeting time he had spent with them, so he felt that they might respond well to his first letter. The reply had been polite, but the underlying tone implied that the elder Grangers blamed him for causing Hermione to make the choice to Obliviate their memories.<p>

Now Hermione was standing in front of her parents' house, listening as Harry explained everything to her, from the point where he had been forgiven and had gotten the Grangers up to date, to the point where he asked if they might not meet with Hermione one more time in the hopes of reconciliation.

"Harry, honestly, Draco's flight is to leave at five and I should get him to the airport early," Hermione said. Harry arched an eyebrow and made a big show of looking at his watch – it was barely past noon. "Oh, alright! I don't want to see my parents. The last time we met it didn't end very well. I hardly believe they want to see me today either, but no one seems to be able to resist you."

Harry grinned cheekily. "And you know I take advantage of that fact. Come on, Hermione, I promise this meeting won't be as bad as the last. Besides, this time I'm here with you. If we can defeat the greatest Dark wizard of all time together, we can face your parents too…although your dad still intimidates me."

Hermione smiled despite herself. "Oh, Harry," was all she said. Harry took that as his cue and linked his arm through hers, walking up to the front door and dragging Hermione along.

The door opened. Had her mum and dad been watching them? Hermione wondered as she stared at her mother. Jeanette Granger looked just as Hermione remembered her, with the same curling, but much tamer, brown hair Hermione had, and gray-blue eyes that never ceased to display Jean's emotions. Right now they were betraying a mix of suspicion, hopefulness, and sorrow.

"Hello, Mrs. Granger."

"Harry, how many times have I told you to call me Jean?"

"As many times as I've called you Mrs. Granger," Harry replied easily with a charming smile. He nodded at Hermione encouragingly.

Clearing her throat first, Hermione said, "Hello, Mother."

Jean's eyes lost most of their suspicion, to be replaced by more sorrow. "Hello, darling. Please come in, both of you."

"Thank you," Hermione said stiffly. She slipped past her mother without touching her, leaving Harry on the porch with Jean.

"I'm sorry for that. She still feels a touch betrayed. She'll come around," Harry assured the woman. "Not to mention that her boyfriend is going to be out of the country soon. Hermione's not at her best right now," Harry continued. He had hoped that making up with her parents would fill the void that would be made when Draco left, but so far, his plan wasn't turning out so well.

"Who, do you mean Ron?" Jean asked.

Harry looked at her sadly. It was clear to him how long at the least Hermione had been out of contact with her mum and dad. "It's a long story. If Hermione decides to tell you, she will. We'd better get inside. I don't want her to be alone right now."

Jean nodded slowly and allowed Harry to enter her and her husband's house before she silently closed the door.

Hermione had paused at the sight of framed pictures of herself with her parents, but as soon as she heard more footsteps, she moved into the sitting room. Her father wasn't there; he was probably at work. So it was just her, Harry, and her mother.

"'Mione, you know how much I hate playing the therapist. It's not easy for me. You've had nine years to see that. Why don't you just start by…I don't know, telling your mother how you felt after you gave them their memories back?" suggested Harry as he sat down in an armchair.

"Excited to get my parents back, then disappointed, and shortly after, betrayed," Hermione said bluntly.

Jean blanched. She was not used to the strong, confident young witch in front of her. In all honesty, she wanted her little girl back – that Hermione she knew how to deal with. But she couldn't relate to the things Hermione was going through now. Jean was no magical human being. She was as mundane as they came. And she tried to sympathize with Hermione as best she could, but it was hard when she saw that her daughter was slowly leaving their world and entering one unknown to her and Richard.

"What about you, Mrs. Granger?" Jean didn't even have the heart to remind Harry to call her by her given name. She couldn't get over the fact that Hermione would not meet her eyes.

"I was so happy to see you," Jean said, everything directed to only Hermione – her looks, her words, her emotions. "Thrilled, over the moon, however you want to describe it. I had felt this awful sense of emptiness during my time as whoever you made me believe I was, like I had lost something dreadfully important. And to see you again, and have my memories back…it was wonderful.

"Then I realized that you weren't the girl I had seen last. You were entirely different. Scarred by the loss of people close to you, haunted by a war. It scared me, Hermione, and it scared your father. We didn't know how to act around you. You had experienced so much, lost so much, and we hardly recognized you. It was after Harry began to explain that I realized that you are still my daughter, and that I should love you despite what you've gone through, and even more so because you've endured things I can't even comprehend. Sweetheart, your dad and I love you just like we did when you were younger, never forget that."

Hermione let Jean hug her. She sat looking straight ahead as it happened, but she didn't pull away either. Harry looked on, already knowing what his best friend was going to say.

"Not understanding what I went through is no excuse, Mother. Ignorance is the cause of fear, so in some sense, you and my father were afraid of me. Me, your only child. What I did I did to make sure you two were not killed, that you could live happily had I died in that war. You always said you were proud of me for standing by Harry while no others believed in him, yet you tossed me aside like an old rag doll when I left to help him put an end to the whole charade Voldemort had started and returned," Hermione said flatly. She turned to Harry. "Harry, I appreciate you for going through all that trouble to help me, but it wasn't worth it. Now, can we leave so I can help Draco prepare to leave?"

"Yeah," Harry replied softly. "Let's go."

Hermione stalked out of the room, bidding her mother a polite goodbye as she did so. Harry lingered.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out, Mrs. Granger."

"It's quite alright, Harry," Jean said, blinking back tears. "I can't say I blame her."

Harry didn't know how to respond to that, so he tentatively patted Hermione's mother on the shoulder and followed his surrogate sister to the front yard.

* * *

><p>AN: So...the end xD Fin! For now, at least :P There is much more to come.

Review, it makes me write faster!


	18. Chapter Eighteen

December 17th, 2011

A/N: This is the big…er, chapter…guys! Again, sorry if it took too long for some of your likings, but I didn't want to rush into things, and Hermione and Draco were just friends for a while. So…hope this makes up for it, and I apologize if they seem a bit out of character. Also, this was written at two in the morning, so my writing probably isn't as good as it could be. Cat, this one's dedicated to you for being so supportive and helpful from the start, even when you hardly knew me (:

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Eighteen

After a tearful goodbye on Hermione's part, she walked out of the airport and drove the car back to the rental shop. She ducked into an abandoned alley and apparated back to the Burrow, to explain what would be happening, and to pack her things.

"Hey, 'Mione," Harry said upon her arrival, looking extremely guilty. "I'm really sorry for bringing you to see your mum."

Hermione sighed and mustered a small smile. "It's alright, Harry. I know you were only trying to help. Now I've got to pack." The only people she had told about Draco's request were Harry and Gina, because Hermione knew they wouldn't give her a hard time about it. But now she had to tell all of the Weasleys too.

"Do you need any help?" Harry asked.

"No, I'll be fine. You get back to whatever it was you were doing before I arrived." Hermione smiled at Harry one more time and slipped into Ginny's bedroom.

Hermione bit her lip, wondering what she ought to bring with her to Draco's flat. She thought of as many different scenarios as she could, but she still felt like she would leave something out. So Hermione packed everything she had at the Burrow into her little beaded bag.

Just as she was closing it, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Hermione called, suspecting that it was Ginny and that Harry had tipped her off on what she was doing.

Ron entered slowly, like he was afraid Hermione would attack him. In all honesty, she would have, if she hadn't been in love with Draco. Hermione was over being angry and hurt because of Ron, when she had an amazingly considerate man that loved her.

"Hello," Hermione said peaceably, continuing to stuff articles of clothing into her bag.

"What are you doing?" Ron asked, frowning at how empty the room seemed to be now. Half of it had been Ginny – it had been entirely Ginny before – but half had been Hermione too. In fact, Hermione had been living at the Burrow for so long, everyone had started to see the bedroom as hers as well as Ginny's.

"Packing," Hermione answered, ushering Crookshanks into his cage. He let out indignant meows of protest at first, but he couldn't deny his mistress anything and eventually went in.

"Why?"

"Draco's gone out of town," Hermione began, but Ron cut her off.

"Oh, good," he said, letting out an unnecessary sigh of relief. "Now things can finally go back to the way they were."

"You didn't let me finish," Hermione snapped, her calm demeanor fractured. "I'm flat-sitting for him, and that's why I'm packing."

Ron's eyes widened comically as his mouth formed an O. "B-But you can't!" he sputtered as first his ears then his entire face grew red. "I won't let you!" Some part of Ron's brain registered his mistake as soon as he got the words out in the open, but it was too late to take them back, and Hermione would have none of it anyway.

"You cannot dictate what I can or cannot do, Ronald," said Hermione cuttingly, her hair practically crackling with magic. "You have no say in the matter, and you shouldn't care what I do besides that! Now out of my way. I have to tell your mother about the arrangements."

"I'm sorry, Hermione! I didn't mean to say that!" But Hermione was already out the door, beading bag in hand, hurrying away towards the kitchen in the hopes of finding Molly Weasley.

Fuming, she decided she would just leave a note, because she couldn't find any trace of Molly, and Hermione was afraid she might say something she would regret in her current mood. Taking a deep breath, she used the floo network to get back to Draco's empty flat.

The day before Draco was due back from France, Hermione was getting ready to go to work when someone rapped on the door.

Now, no one bothered to do that. The only people that visited Draco on a regular basis were Hermione, Blaise, and Narcissa Malfoy, and they could just apparate into the middle of the sitting room. Even Harry was allowed through the wards, in case he ever needed to find Hermione and she was with Draco. So why would someone knock?

At first Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that the person was Astoria Greengrass and was sorely tempted to tell her to bugger off, but Harry and Draco had warned her to be careful, so she didn't. Instead she cast a charm that would make the door transparent on Hermione's side and unchanged on the other.

Two men clothed in black robes stood patiently, waiting to be received into the apartment. Hermione already knew they were Death Eaters simply from the looks of them, but she also recognized the one to the left – the one that had stalked her and Draco that one afternoon.

Well. Hermione had been on her way out anyway. The Death Eaters need not know that anyone was currently home, and by the time she got back, at five o' clock, she suspected they would take the hint and leave.

So to her daycare Hermione went, and, as if she hadn't gotten enough surprises for the day, she found that a woman around her age was applying for a job there when she arrived.

"Hermione, there you are! You're normally here before I am," Gina said, handing the woman a clipboard along with a quill from behind the front desk.

"Sorry Gina, I had a bit of an incident. Hello, I'm Hermione. Who are you?" Hermione asked politely, shedding her cloak and sending it to her office, where it hung itself up.

"I'm Catherine Pratt, but everyone calls me Cat, and if there's a spot available, I'd like to help out in this daycare."

"Oh," Hermione said, blinking. "Did you go to Hogwarts? Because I don't think I ever saw you there."

Catherine smiled. "I was born and raised in America, and stayed there until I finished college. Then I moved here."

"Forgive me for asking, because I know it's usually taboo to ask this among women," Hermione started, her mouth twitching into a smile like Cat's, "but how old are you, if you're already out of university?"

"I'm twenty two," Cat replied, not appearing to find the question offensive at all.

"I didn't want to make any promises until you got here, 'Mione, but I did tell her if you were okay with it she could just fill out some information for us to look over. And we could use another set of hands around this place. It'd make things easier on us," said Gina.

Hermione had to admit that an occasional day off that wasn't a Sunday would be nice, and she did like the good feeling she got from Catherine. She nodded at Gina and they had a silent conversation with their eyes before Hermione turned to Catherine and told her she got the job.

At lunchtime, as Hermione and Gina got to know Cat more and saw that she was an intelligent girl with a love of mischief, Hermione made a mental note to owl Fred when she left work.

After what seemed like an eternity to Hermione, January 9th came, and she went back to the Muggle airport to pick Draco up. She sat in the car from the same rental place she had gone to previously, staring at the clock as time went by. Hermione had gotten there a little early so she wouldn't have to struggle to find parking, and she was waiting for the time when she wouldn't be bored out of her mind inside of the airport.

Hermione sighed and got out of the car, quickly walking away from the parking lot.

Not for the first time, the platinum blonde hair was a dead giveaway. Hermione was a perfectly sane and reasonable person, but she hadn't seen her boyfriend in two weeks, and he was impossibly handsome even after spending three hours on a plane. So she ran at him, throwing her arms around his neck as he picked her up and spun her around. Separation was making them act how they regularly wouldn't in public, or even private, but neither Hermione nor Draco really cared.

"I missed you," Hermione whispered.

Draco chuckled. "I missed you too, love," he said into Hermione's hair, kissing her before he set her down on the ground. People stopped and stared, and Draco added, in a much louder voice, "Mind your own business you wankers," his eyes never leaving Hermione's.

Hermione looked at him reproachfully and hit his arm. "Draco!" she scolded. "Don't be so rude." She turned slightly so she was facing the crowd and smiled apologetically. A few individuals smiled back as Hermione led Draco to the car.

"How was the trip?" Hermione asked as she drove to Draco's flat. "What was it for, anyway?"

"It was boring," Draco admitted, leaning back against the head rest. "Some idiot thought he found a new plant that would benefit Muggles and wizards alike and wanted other healers to do some research with him, but it turned out to be a complete waste of time."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, glancing at him before turning her attention back to the road.

Draco shrugged. "We did learn a few things. I think I was annoyed so much because it was time I could've spent with you."

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, are you going sappy on me?" Hermione teased.

"I'm tired and in no mood to argue with you, so yes, Hermione Jean Granger, I am going sappy on you."

Hermione was the one who brought Draco's luggage into the apartment, against Draco's wishes. He reminded her that he was more than capable of lugging a suitcase through a door, but Hermione would have none of it. Sometimes she was more like Molly Weasley than she realized.

"Do you want to go sleep for a while? I'll make you something to eat," Hermione offered, stretching after she had sent the luggage to Draco's bedroom. Driving for a long period of time always made her stiff and a bit cranky, but Draco didn't need to be made aware of that.

"I'm not going to fall asleep on my feet, 'Mione."

"But you said you were tired earlier, in the car," Hermione retorted, getting water boiling with a flick of her wand.

Draco came up from behind Hermione and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Do you really want me to leave you here by yourself?" he asked, his tone light as he kissed the spot where her neck met with her shoulder.

"What?" Hermione replied faintly, her eyes fluttering closed.

"I said," Draco repeated, plainly amused, "do you really want me to leave you here by yourself?"

"Well, I…suppose not," Hermione said.

Draco laughed and Hermione turned around in his embrace to kiss him. She had missed this. She hardly ever felt comfortable around anyone anymore if they weren't Harry, Draco, Neville, Luna, Gina, and even Cat, despite the short while she had known her, so dinners at the Burrow had been torture for her. Thinking of Cat made Hermione remember that she had a lot to tell Draco – including the surprise visit from two Death Eaters.

"Hermione…"

"What is it?" Hermione had to stretch on her toes to kiss Draco's jaw, which she did, before she rested her cheek against his chest.

"I love you."

Hermione leaned back to fully look at Draco and smiled softly, understanding the second meaning of his words. "I love you too."

Draco kissed Hermione's forehead and scooped her up bridal style, making her giggle. He carried her to his room and kicked the door shut.

Her arms wound around Draco's neck as she played with his hair, Hermione got him up to date on everything that had happened while he was away. She started off by telling him about Cat, and was going to tell him about the Death Eaters, but he was so relaxed and content, and Hermione didn't have the heart to ruin that.

"Harry's going to propose to Ginny soon," Hermione said as Draco drew lazy circles on her bare back.

"Are you trying to hint at something, Granger?" Draco asked, opening his eyes to squint at her.

Hermione chuckled and shook her head. "No, of course not, I was only telling you a bit of news. I don't expect you to want to marry me when we've only been dating for a few months."

Draco thought about that and looked at Hermione seriously. "Would you consider marrying me, though? When we're older, I mean."

"Yes," Hermione answered without any hesitation. Draco's smile quickly turned into a smirk.

"Don't be afraid to tell me how you really feel, love."

Hermione grinned at his comment and snuggled closer to him, loving the feel of his skin against hers. Her grin slid off of her face as she attempted to find a way to let Draco know about the men in black robes without disrupting their peace. A sigh escaped from her, but Hermione didn't worry. It could be interpreted as a sound of happiness as well as sorrow or frustration.

"Yesterday a couple of your old friends decided to visit," Hermione said, leaving it up to Draco to reach the right conclusion.

"The Death Eaters came here?"

Nodding, Hermione immediately felt Draco tense up. She rolled over so she was lying on her back and stared at the ceiling. She took a deep breath and felt Draco slip his hand into hers.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" Draco's eyebrows were furrowed together, and Hermione kissed his nose.

"As you can see, I am perfectly fine. I didn't even let them in. I made sure the flat was secure and then I went to work."

Draco snorted at Hermione's choice of action, but when Hermione thought he was going to question her more about the Death Eaters, he didn't. She followed Draco's gaze and bit her lip; he was staring at the scar she had received from his aunt.

_Now not only do I have to worry about Harry blaming himself, I have to worry about Draco doing the same…_ Hermione groaned inwardly. "It wasn't your fault, Draco. There was nothing you could have done to prevent it from happening," Hermione said quietly. She hated the scars she bore, all of them, but she tried to make Harry proud by not casting a glamour charm whenever she expected to see someone, and while she understood Draco's desire to hide his Dark Mark, she wished he would do the same.

"I was _right there_, Hermione. I should have done something! But I didn't, because I was too much of a coward," Draco spat.

"Stop saying that," Hermione snapped before she made her voice gentler. "It's in the past. If I still thought you were the person you were back then, I wouldn't be with you right now. It's okay to be scared sometimes. Bellatrix scared the living hell out of a lot of people."

"Weasley was screaming your name the entire time, and he even told them to take him in your place."

Hermione literally huffed in exasperation. "Ron's a Gryffindor. You're a Slytherin. And I love you anyways," she said.

Sensing that he was to be on the losing side of their little battle, Draco merely repeated the sentiment back to Hermione.

The next morning, Hermione was woken by her cell phone ringing. Only a few individuals had her number – only a few individuals she knew had a cell phone. Since Hermione wasn't speaking to her parents, she figured it was Harry calling and panicked. Harry preferred to send an owl or use the floo network to talk, so he rarely used his phone, unless there was an emergency.

The first thing Hermione said when she picked up the phone was, "Harry, are you alright? Is anyone hurt?"

On the other side, on Harry's side, Ron was trying to figure out what he should say to Hermione to make her forgive him. He didn't want to make the mistake of shouting into the telephone thing again, so he stayed quiet until he had the right words.

Hermione knew she often worried too much, so she forced herself to believe that Harry had accidentally dialed her phone number and didn't know, and that that was why he wasn't talking.

"Who is it?" Draco asked, nipping Hermione's ear.

"Harry," she replied, waiting to see if Harry would say something.

"What does Potter want so early in the morning?"

Ron had called around seven o' clock because he wanted enough time to make up with Hermione if she chose to forgive him and leave the ferret. Harry tried to convince Ron that Hermione wouldn't dump Draco, but Ron would have none of it. He was determined to get Hermione back, whether it be because he loved her or that Lavender was really getting on his nerves.

"I have no idea," Hermione said. Draco shrugged, leaving a trail of open-mouthed kisses on her neck. "Draco…Draco, love, stop. I'm on the phone."

"But Potter isn't talking."

"I'm still on the phone. For all we know he's listening to this conversation right now," Hermione hissed, but Draco noticed that she went limp in his arms.

Hermione was wrong. Harry wasn't listening to her conversation with Draco. Ron was. Unreasonably angered, Ron hung up and turned to Harry.

"You didn't say anything," Harry observed, his tone mild as he wrapped an arm around Ginny, who had just sat down next to him.

"What was I supposed to say? She was with Draco bloody Malfoy!"

"She was at his flat," Ginny said, resting her head on Harry's shoulder.

"But she was there with him!"

"I suppose this means Draco's back in town," Harry told Ginny, the corners of his mouth twitching up into a smile.

"Things were getting boring without him in London," Ginny agreed, laughing as her brother stormed out of the house.

A/N: To clarify for any of you that are confused...yeah, Draco and Hermione had sex. Yay for them...! I noticed that I used a lot of line breaks in this chapter, but whatever. Um...let me know if you guys want more Astoria or Cassie or Cat or Daphne around. Lavender and Ron, too. Or the twins. Whichever character you like, you can request for more of them in this story...in a review! :D

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	19. Chapter Nineteen

December 21st, 2011

A/N: Based on past experience, by the time I have this published it will either be Christmas or Christmas Eve. So happy holidays you guys! I love you all lots and I just want to thank you for the encouragement and feedback you've given me. As always, thanks to the lovely and amazing Cat for beta reading this. Nilz0rz, Gleek-043, here are your twins – or at least Fred (: Anonymous 'meep', here is some Astoria!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Nineteen (woo!)

A while after Ron's phone call, Draco, remembering that Hermione felt uncomfortable living at the Burrow, asked her if she might want to move in with him. It took a lot of deep breaths stammering on his part, but he managed to get his message across, and Hermione gratefully accepted the offer.

She later used Draco's owl to let Molly know. The kind, motherly witch showed no objection to this, so long as Hermione was happy, but Molly did insist that Hermione and Draco go to the Burrow for dinner every night or at least on Sundays, when the whole family was together.

So on the Sunday following January 9th, Draco and Hermione apparated to the Weasleys' house for dinner.

The moment they walked in, Hermione's legs were plowed into by a certain two year old boy in Harry and Andromeda's care. She would have most certainly lost her balance if Draco hadn't wrapped an arm around her waist. Hermione shot him a grateful look and picked Teddy up, balancing him on her hip.

"Hi Teddy," she said, smiling and kissing Teddy's cheek. "Have you been good for Grandma Andy?"

"Of course I have," Teddy replied, looking shocked to see that anyone would ever think he misbehaved around his grandmother.

Hermione laughed. "Of course you have." She carried Teddy into the sitting room, where she assumed the others to be, with Draco following closely behind.

Not a moment after Hermione sat down next to Fred to tell him about Cat, a whooshing sound was heard, and Percy and his girlfriend Audrey stepped out of the fireplace. They were greeted warmly, but it was Fleur who noticed the ring.

"Oh, Bill, isn't this wonderful? Percy and Audrey are getting married!" Fleur's English had definitely improved, but she still tended to stretch out her_ i_'s so that they sounded like _e_'s.

Ron, who was sitting on the floor near Fred, started joking with him about marrying Angelina. The two had been together for quite some time, but they had never talked about marriage, although Fred had stopped to look at engagement rings on occasion.

Interrupting their conversation, Percy asked Fred, "Have you even thought about the idea? Of marrying her, I mean?"

"'Course I have, you wankers just brought it up," Fred answered with a grin.

Percy, who was continuously working on his sense of humor, was relentless. "Fred, you're an adult now and you should really start acting the part."

"Fine," Fred replied. Getting hit by a stroke of sudden inspiration, he called across the room, "Oi! Angelina!"

Angelina looked up from her conversation with Ginny, Fleur, and Audrey. "What?"

"Want to marry me?"

Though Angelina was very surprised and taken aback, she smiled coyly and said, "Alright, then." She went back to discussing Audrey and Percy's wedding plans as if nothing had happened, as if Fred hadn't just proposed, albeit in an odd way.

Fred glanced at Percy, who was absolutely stunned. Remembering a similar conversation from his fourth year at Hogwarts, Ron got to his feet, clapped Fred on the shoulder and said, "Piece of cake."

Hermione burst out laughing, for what reason Draco did not know. Teddy tilted his head to the side and locked gazes with Draco. Had Hermione gone crazy?

"Love, what's so funny?" Draco asked, slightly worried for Hermione's sanity.

Once she calmed down, Hermione turned to look at Draco and smiled. "It was like he was asking her to go to the Yule Ball with him all over again. Undoubtedly one of the sweetest and funniest proposals I've ever heard about."

"Hm," Draco said thoughtfully. Hermione regarded him carefully, and Draco grinned at her. "Don't worry; I'm not going to take a cue from Weasley there."

"Good," Hermione responded.

Hermione congratulated Angelina first and when she moved to Fred she quietly added, "I think I may have a future candidate. Go to the kitchen in five minutes. Your mother won't be there because she'll be out here hugging everyone." Fred chuckled, and Hermione managed to slip away from the crowd with the help of Teddy, who loudly proclaimed that he was thirsty.

Fred leaned back against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms, arching an eyebrow at Hermione.

"You said you may have a future candidate?"

"Indeed I did," Hermione agreed. "Her name is Catherine, but she prefers 'Cat', and I think she's perfect for George. Problem is, I don't know if they'll actually end up liking each other as more than friends or partners in crime."

Mulling this over, Fred came to the conclusion that they would only find out if Cat could be someone George fancied if the two met in person. But he couldn't set George up on a blind date with Cat, whom Fred had never even laid eyes on.

Hermione seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because she said, "I'll have to invite Cat to come along for a big celebration or gathering. The soonest occurrence I can think of is your birthday, but it wouldn't do to bring her here for that. What about Teddy's birthday?"

Fred nodded. "Teddy's birthday it is. Thanks for your help, Hermione – it's high time George got some action."

"I wouldn't necessarily put it that way, but you're welcome nonetheless."

* * *

><p>On the rare occasion when both Draco and Hermione had the day off work – Hermione would never stop thanking Merlin that Cat had started working at the daycare – they ate a late breakfast together that could technically be called lunch. While Hermione was drying the dishes and Draco was putting the extra food away, there was a quiet knock on the door.<p>

It couldn't be a Death Eater on the other side. Death Eaters didn't _do_ quiet. Subtle, maybe, but never quiet.

"Who do you suppose it is?" Hermione asked, setting the last plate down on the counter by the sink. Draco shrugged and pulled out his wand, casting the same charm Hermione used when Zachary and Benjamin unexpectedly showed up at the flat.

"For the love of Merlin," Draco groaned, striding away from the door. "Can we just not answer it?"

"Draco, if the person isn't a threat to our lives we might as well see what they want," scolded Hermione, who hadn't seen that their visitor was none but Astoria Greengrass.

"Hermione, I don't think that's such a good idea…" Draco started, but Hermione had already answered the door.

"What are you doing here?" the two witches exclaimed simultaneously.

"I live here," Hermione said, just as Astoria stated that she was there to see Draco.

"You WHAT?" Astoria shrieked. Hermione held a hand to her ear and sighed. She had a feeling Astoria had made her partially deaf for the time being.

Draco frowned at Astoria, but Hermione insisted that he invite her to come inside, even if Astoria was impossibly aggravating. Hermione sat down on the couch while Draco hung back, facing them with his back to the kitchen.

"Well, as you can see, Draco is here. If you wanted to simply see him you could have picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet, so why have you really come?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I wish to speak with him. Alone," Astoria added with a pointed look in Hermione's direction.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but Draco was not about to let that slide.

"Anything you want to say to me you can say in the presence of my girlfriend," Draco told Astoria, putting extra emphasis in the last word. Hermione shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. It was going to be a long afternoon.

Astoria purred, and cooed, and simpered, and even made quite a few suggestions, all while Hermione sat there listening. It was a good thing Hermione wasn't babysitting Teddy for Harry or Andromeda – she wouldn't have wanted him to hear the majority of the things coming out of Astoria's pouty mouth.

"So, Draco, darling, in case you want to get in touch with me, that's the password for my floo network," Astoria concluded, smiling sweetly.

"Okay, thank you for stopping by, Draco will let you know if he ever wants to talk to you again," Hermione said, more or less pushing Astoria out the door. She hated to be rude, but _honestly_, that woman had some nerve.

Hermione stared after Astoria and once the pureblood had gone, she grabbed a throw pillow and screamed into it. Draco laughed and kissed the top of Hermione's head.

"You were the one who opened the door," he reminded her.

"Yes, well, I thoroughly regret my decision," Hermione replied, tossing the pillow back onto the couch.

"I thought it was kind of amusing," Draco admitted, smirking. "I never knew Hermione Granger was capable of feeling jealous."

"I am not jealous of her," Hermione said, scowling.

"Fine, you were feeling oddly possessive, then."

Hermione couldn't deny that without lying, which Draco knew. Grinning when he saw her expression, he said, "Aw, come on, 'Mione. It was cute, seeing you like that."

"But I absolutely hate it when girls act like that around their boyfriends," Hermione sighed. "Or just in general; it's revolting behavior. Positively primeval."

"Whatever you say, love." Draco paused for a moment. "Now, I don't know about you, but I for one am ready to turn in for the day…"

"Draco, it's one o' clock."

"And your point is…"

Hermione chuckled and kissed Draco's cheek. "Maybe later – I want to go find an engagement present for Ginny and Harry…and Percy and Audrey…and Fred and Angelina. You know, I'm fairly certain that Molly is going out of her mind trying to plan three weddings at one time."

"She probably is, but she can handle it. Be happy she isn't trying to get you to help. I hear planning a wedding is rather taxing," Draco said. "My mother hired at least five wedding coordinators before I told her I didn't want to marry Astoria."

"Oh my," Hermione replied, mostly because she couldn't find anything else to say. _Five wedding coordinators? I hope Narcissa doesn't hire that much help should Draco and I ever marry… _

Draco smiled and laced his fingers through Hermione's. He started to lead her to the bedroom they shared, but Hermione stopped him by placing a hand on his chest.

"I told you, maybe later. I have things to do today," she said. "If you want you can come with me to Diagon Alley."

"I might as well, since I'm not getting any right now."

Hermione laughed and asked, "Why is it that I'm dating you?"

"Don't you dare answer that question negatively," Draco warned Hermione, following her out of the flat and out onto the streets of Diagon Alley.

* * *

><p>Hermione looked at the two children in front of her, her resolve diminishing as she took in their sullen faces. It was Friday, and both Aria and Flynn came from pureblood families that would surely punish them if word got out about what they did. Hermione was the teacher at the daycare who was known for being strict, although she was kind to all of her students, but she decided, for once, to let Aria and Flynn go with a warning.<p>

Flynn was the most troublesome child in Hermione's care, but he was also the most attentive, and would stand up for the younger ones or take their punishments if he thought them unjust. Aria, on the other hand, was very quiet. Her calm presence managed to hide the dangerous twinkle in her eyes.

"Go on out to the playground," Hermione said, ruffling Flynn's hair as she passed them to open the sliding door that led outside. "But if you ever catch you telling Emily where a bezoar comes from again…she's only four. Wait until she's a little older, alright?"

"Okay," Aria agreed softly. "Sorry Miss Hermione."

"It's alright, now go on and play."

Hermione, watching Aria and Flynn go, wondered how it would be to be a parent herself. She didn't know what she would name any future children, but Hermione knew for sure that she would never drop them off to be taken care of by strangers.

Biting the inside of her cheek, Hermione turned around and walked back to her office to pay the bills for the month.

"Oh for the love of Merlin," she muttered, stopping abruptly out in the hall when she saw who was waiting for her. "Ron, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I was hoping we could talk," Ron said sheepishly.

"The last time we talked I left feeling quite offended," Hermione reminded him, slipping into her office and sitting down in the chair behind her desk.

"I also wanted to apologize for that."

Hermione's eyes met Ron's. "You're not going to leave until you say your piece," she stated. It wasn't so much of a question as a means of clarifying what she already knew. Hermione sighed. "Well, since you're here, you might as well go on and tell me what's on your mind."

"You are," Ron blurted. He had the decency to blush after the words were out of his mouth.

"Ron, you are dating _Lavender_, and you need to accept that," Hermione said. "You also need to accept that I am happily dating Draco."

"How can you be happy with him?" Ron asked, genuinely confused. "He made our lives living hell for half of our lives!"

"Hardly half, Ronald. And Draco's a completely different person now. Stop thinking of the past and focus on the present, before life passes you by," Hermione instructed him. "Imagine how Lavender feels, knowing that you're unhappy with her and being content to try and fix that anyways."

"She really isn't as bad as you think."

"I don't think she's bad at all!" Hermione exclaimed. She did not add that that was probably what Ron thought. "She seems like a lovely person and you should really try and treat her with more respect and love."

"Who are you to say that I don't?" Ron demanded. "You're hardly ever around anymore because you spend all of your time with Malfoy!"

"As I've said before, because I'm _dating him_! This is exactly why I didn't want to talk to you! I knew things would end up like this!"

"Like WHAT, Hermione?"

"Us yelling at each other! This needs to stop, Ronald! We're supposed to be friends, and friends accept it when the other is happy with someone else, even after they break up," Hermione said, slowly breathing in and out in an attempt to calm herself.

Gina timidly poked her head inside of Hermione's office. "Er, Hermione, Blaise decided to pick Zane up early and he wanted to say goodbye to you, but if you're too busy…"

Hermione stood, not breaking eye contact with Ron. "It's no problem, Gina. Ron was going anyways."

"I'll see you on Sunday, Hermione," Ron said, disapparating with a loud crack.

"What was that about?" Gina asked once Ron was gone. (A/N: lol…it rhymes…)

"I don't even know anymore. You said Zane was leaving?"

* * *

><p>Draco pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Weasley had been with Hermione for longer than he had and he still didn't know when to shut his damn mouth.<p>

"Love, you've got to calm down. Stop pacing, you're causing a draft," Draco said from his spot on his couch. Hermione paused to look at him and Draco took hold of one of her hands and used it to tug her to him. "You're worrying about nothing."

Hermione let Draco hug her close, but her agitation didn't disappear completely. "What if Ron does something and I become a home-wrecker?"

"Is _that_ what's got your knickers in a twist?" Draco asked incredulously. "I thought Weasley said something that actually offended you. Here I was fretting about you going off and killing one of your best friends."

"I don't even know if I can call Ron a friend."

"Now you're just being melodramatic," Draco said, kissing Hermione's nose. "And if there's anything I know about Hermione Granger, it's that she tries her best to never be dramatic at all."

"I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me. I know I'm blowing this all out of proportion and I'm overreacting and I'm sorry about that."

Draco got to his feet, taking Hermione with him. He walked over to their shared bedroom – what was the point of her moving in if they didn't share one, uncomfortable feelings aside? – and gently set Hermione down on the bed.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, laughing as Draco proceeded to tuck her in like one might a young child.

"You need to relax," Draco replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Are you being impersonated with the help of Polyjuice potion?"

"No," Draco said, looking at Hermione like she was out of her mind. She smiled and pulled Draco down so he was lying next to her. "But if you want proof I can suggest something that will make you call me impossible again."

"Okay, I believe that it's you," Hermione said, obviously amused as she shifted so that she was no longer confined in the sheets and her head was on Draco's stomach.

"Are you okay now?" Draco brushed stray locks of hair away from Hermione's face to better see the emotions there.

"I'm calmer, if that's what you mean."

"Yes, that's what I meant. As much as I dislike Weaselbee, it wouldn't do for him to mysteriously disappear."

Hermione rolled over onto her side so she was facing Draco. "I suppose you're right."

"I will never get tired of hearing that," Draco declared.

* * *

><p>AN: Happy holidays, guys! Hope you're spending them with people you love :)

Leave a review as a Christmas present to me! ;D


	20. Chapter Twenty

December 28th, 2011

A/N: I am so tired. But I'm also really happy. My sister made me an awesome HP related t-shirt for Christmas: it has Luna's hare on the front and D.A. on the back. My brother helped her with it. At first I didn't get it…but then I turned it around. I almost thought it was supposed to be the doe. Oh well. It's still great :D Um, since I don't really know when exactly Teddy's birthday is…I'm giving him my friend's birthday since she was born in April. She won't read this but this chapter is for her for being awesome, despite the fact that she knows next to nothing about Harry Potter.

Thank you Cat for beta reading this! (Check out her stuff, Strange Bedfellows is really funny: kitcat234)

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Twenty

Ginny and Harry were to be married first, in the month of June. Percy's and Audrey's wedding would take place on the first Saturday of July, and Fred's and Angelina's would take place on the last. As Hermione had predicted, Molly was going out of her mind preparing all three weddings, so much so that she asked Teddy what color he wanted his flower girl dress to be, thoroughly confusing the boy and amusing all of the adults.

On April 25th, which happened to be a Wednesday, Hermione and Draco were preparing to go to the Burrow for Teddy's birthday party. It was Weasley's Wizard Wheezes themed, which meant it was bound to be extraordinarily hectic and full of mischief. Hermione wasn't looking forward to it, but it made Teddy happy, so she wouldn't complain.

"Are you ready to have your hair turn colors?" Hermione asked, linking her arm with Draco's.

Draco unconsciously reached up to touch his hair, which was in desperate need of a trim at the very least. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that if Fred, George, and Lee planned this party, no one is going to escape unmolested," said Hermione. "And I do mean no one. I have a feeling that they're even going to prank each other."

"Oh bugger," Draco muttered as Hermione apparated the two of them to the Burrow.

Hermione opened the door to the beloved house and pulled the understandably reluctant Draco inside. They were immediately met by shrieks of laughter and groans of exasperation, which made Hermione smile just the smallest bit.

"Looks like the fun has already begun," Hermione observed, ducking as a rocket flew above her head.

"I wouldn't call almost being hit by a rocket fun," Draco replied, following the sounds of voices to the sitting room.

"Well it's our kind of fun!" Fred announced, suddenly materializing behind Hermione and Draco.

Draco gaped at Fred. "I didn't even hear you! I didn't know it was possible for wizards to apparate silently."

"It's not possible, Malfoy. It's called walking," Fred said, arching an eyebrow. "Am I really to believe that Hermione, who was by far the best student at Hogwarts, is with you?" He looked at Hermione then, his eyes alight with mischief.

"Oh, for the love of Merlin, Fred, leave him alone," Hermione scolded, although she planned to tease Draco about the ordeal later on. Before she forgot, Hermione added, "Cat's coming, she just has to do something first."

"Perfect. Georgie isn't going to know what hit him! You know, evil plans are much more fun when you're involved, Granger. They get more complicated but the results are far better."

"I'll take that as a compliment, Fred."

* * *

><p>Cat and George hit it off right away, and once Hermione was satisfied with the outcome and Teddy was half asleep on Arthur's lap, she fell asleep on the couch snuggled up to Draco. He kept his arm around her, though it was growing numb, and managed to keep from snarling at Ron whenever he looked at Hermione with those annoyingly longing eyes.<p>

"Poor dear," Molly murmured sympathetically, cleaning the majority of the house with a wave of her wand. "She must be exhausted every day, running after little tykes like Teddy."

"She's usually tired but she loves working at the daycare," Draco said with a smile, kissing the top of Hermione's head. Hermione was the only topic Draco could safely discuss with the Weasleys and Potter without anyone walking away in an irritated state.

"She's such a good girl," Molly said, smiling at the two of them. "I should go put Teddy to bed. Thank you for coming." She bustled away and carried Teddy to some other part of the Burrow, and Draco decided it was time to get Hermione back to the flat so she could sleep without being disturbed, the way Teddy was.

"Thanks for having us over," Draco whispered to Arthur, who happened to be the only remaining person in the sitting room. He disapparated, hoping the noise wouldn't wake Hermione. Of course, it did, but she was quite content where she was and didn't give any sign that she was conscious.

Draco slid into bed next to Hermione and snaked an arm around her waist. She grumbled and buried her face in a pillow.

"Now, if you don't change yourself into your pajamas, I'll do it for you," Draco told Hermione, pressing a kiss to her ear.

Hermione muttered something unintelligible and grabbed her wand. For a moment, Draco was worried that she was going to hex him into oblivion the way she threatened to do whenever she got mad, but then he saw that her street clothes were gone, replaced by an over-sized shirt of his.

"Was that so hard?" Draco asked, lightly running his fingers down Hermione's side and making her squirm.

"Stop it, that tickles," Hermione said, laughing despite herself. "Leave me alone, I'm tired."

"How was work today?"

"Would you quit asking me questions?"

"Not until you answer that one."

Hermione sighed and rolled so that she could rest her head on Draco's chest. "It was fine. I don't know why you would think it was anything but fine."

"Who do you take me for, Weaselbee? I happen to be able to tell when something's wrong with the person I care about most," Draco informed Hermione. He kept his tone light, but she wouldn't ignore his words. Hermione rolled her eyes and hit him on the arm.

"Ron's getting better at being empathetic, so leave him alone, okay? He's kind of been through hell recently," Hermione said, rubbing her eyes and sighing when she realized she wouldn't be left alone long enough to fall back asleep.

"You've been through hell too," Draco pointed out. "Hell that he happened to put you through."

"Can we talk about this another time? I don't want to go over this conversation again where we just blame Ron for everything bad that happened. He is trying, Draco. Granted, he isn't succeeding, but he's making an effort."

"Alright, fine. Now get some sleep – you were practically dead at the Burrow."

Hermione snorted at the irony. "Said the man who kept me up by bringing up my ex and work."

"I love you too, Hermione."

"Mhm. Goodnight, love."

* * *

><p>Ron awkwardly patted Lavender on the back as she sobbed into his shirt. He had taken her back to the flat she shared with the Patil twins with the intention of leaving soon after, but a letter was waiting for her and when Lavender read the contents, she burst into tears and wouldn't let Ron go. He still didn't know what had happened. He could only assume that someone close to her had died or been permanently scarred.<p>

"Oh, Lav, you're back. We were starting to wonder…" Parvati trailed off and ran over to her best friend. "Ronald Weasley, what did you do to her?" she demanded, trying to pull Lavender away from her boyfriend and failing.

"I didn't do anything!" Ron exclaimed indignantly, just as Lavender said, "Ron didn't do anything."

"Then what happened?" Parvati asked, frowning.

"I can't tell you now," Lavender wailed. "I just can't! M-Maybe after I've calmed down."

More confused than ever, Parvati simply nodded and exchanged a puzzled look with Ron.

"Parvati, will you take care of her for me? I have to be at work tomorrow…"

"Yes, you can trust me to take good care of her," Parvati promised Ron. "Take care, see you whenever…" The dismissal was clear. Ron kissed Lavender's cheek, told her he would check in on her the next day, and disapparated. Parvati led Lavender to her room, the other girl offering no help in the matter.

Lavender wiped the tears away with her hands and took a few deep breaths. Parvati handed her a tissue and patiently waited for an explanation. If there was anything she had learned in the time she had been friends with Lavender, it was that she wouldn't do things she wasn't ready to do unless Ron asked it of her. No one else had the power to make her do something unwillingly, probably because Lavender didn't feel secure in her relationship with Ron.

"Come on now, Ron's gone. What's wrong, Lav?" Parvati had figured that Lavender was reluctant to share the cause of the crying with Ron there, and she was right. "What happened?"

"I got a letter," Lavender whispered. "The letter was from a healer I went to a while ago, because I wasn't feeling well and I wanted to know if there was a potion to stop me from throwing up all the time…there was, but there was also more to it than that."

Parvati's eyes widened. "You're not saying…"

"I'm pregnant," Lavender clarified in a shaky voice. "And I don't know what to do, Parvati. What will Ron say? Do you think he'll break up with me? Do you think he'll make me get an abortion? I don't want to do that to the baby! It's my baby. I can't!"

"Lav, you're rambling. Calm down for a minute, and remember to breathe," Parvati instructed. She wished Padma was there too – her twin was the smart one. If anyone could figure the situation out, it would be Padma. But Parvati could take a crack at it too. "Ron might not be the most intelligent guy out there, or the most loyal, but he would never break up with you in your state. He cares about you, Lavender. And he won't let anything bad happen to your baby. You just have to tell him."

"Okay," Lavender said faintly. "I'll tell him tomorrow."

"Good."

"Parvati…I know that Ron will be a good father, but how am I going to tell him the news without making him upset?"

Parvati tilted her head to the side and looked around the room, her gaze falling on a picture of the Defense Association, otherwise known as Dumbledore's Army or the D.A. She spotted one familiar, bushy-haired witch and smiled.

"I think I know someone we can talk to."

Lavender's eyebrows furrowed together. "Who do you have in mind?"

"You'll see," Parvati said, grabbing Lavender's hand and apparating to an apartment complex in Diagon Alley.

* * *

><p>Draco bolted upright at the sound of a fist pounding on his door. He kissed Hermione's forehead and told her he'd be back in a moment before he snatched his wand off of the nightstand next to his bed and crept outside.<p>

"Malfoy, open up! We need to talk to Hermione!" Parvati called on the other side.

"How the hell do they know where I live…? That damn Weasley," Draco muttered, running a hand through his hair. He opened the door and stepped aside, letting Lavender and Parvati enter the flat.

"Is Hermione awake?" Parvati asked, tapping her foot impatiently.

"I bet she is now," Draco said, sighing. "I'll go tell her you're here."

Parvati watched Draco go. "If he wasn't with Hermione right now…mm. He may have been an ass, but he is a fine piece of ass." She had spent one year in America for learning purposes – Parvati was the new Divination professor at Hogwarts, since she actually had the kind of Sight that could be called on – and it was evident in every other sentence she said.

"This is really odd," Lavender murmured. "We shouldn't be here, Parvati."

"Calm down. If anyone can tell you how to handle Ron, it'll be Hermione. She knows how to handle everything."

Draco, on the other hand, had a very hard time handling Hermione when he woke her up.

"Love, you have to get up! I can't deal with Brown and one half of the Patil twins on my own," Draco said. "I don't know what they were thinking, showing up at one in the morning, but it must be important, and they want to talk to you."

Hermione groaned and sat up. She glared at Draco and grumbled some more, but she did go and see what Lavender and Parvati wanted.

"Good morning," Hermione said mockingly as she went straight to the kitchen to make tea that would help her stay awake. "What can I do for you two?" She leaned against the counter, braided her hair back, and smothered a yawn. Draco came over to stand next to her and whispered something in her ear, something that neither Lavender nor Parvati could hear, no matter how much they strained to. But whatever it was, it made Hermione more agreeable, which both witches appreciated greatly.

"We have a predicament," Parvati began carefully. "We were hoping you could help us find a way to…"

"Fix it?" Hermione suggested.

"No, this is something we don't want to fix," Lavender inputted hastily. However much she thought having a baby might disrupt her life, she wanted to keep it and raise it with Ron.

"Oh. Then…"

"I need your advice," Lavender said. Hermione stared at her for a minute and would have continued to stare if Draco hadn't elbowed her in the ribs. Lightly, of course, but he still did it.

"Alright," Hermione replied slowly. "What do you need advice on?"

"Say someone is pregnant…and they need to tell their boyfriend without upsetting him," Lavender said, fiddling with her hair. "And their boyfriend has quite a temper, although he's a lovely person. How should that someone tell their boyfriend about the pregnancy?"

It was obvious that Lavender was the one that was pregnant and that she needed advice on how to tell Ron. But if she didn't want to say it outright to Hermione, Hermione would allow her to keep up the pretense that she was not pregnant. Draco had no such intention.

"Come on, Brown, you can't be serious. Everyone in this room knows you're carrying Weasley's baby. You don't have to pretend otherwise."

"Draco Malfoy!" Hermione hissed.

"What? It's true!"

"It doesn't matter if it's true, you don't just go and say something like that. If Lavender wants to keep it to herself she can," Hermione chastised, scowling.

Draco rolled his eyes and kissed Hermione's temple. "Yes dear. Whatever you say."

"You have got to be the sweetest couple I know," Parvati said, sighing in a way that caused Draco to roll his eyes again. "You have such a way with each other, like you understand the other person even without talking, and I've never seen or heard or heard _of_ any fights."

"Yes, well," Hermione said, arching an eyebrow. "Back to Lavender's problem… You just need to tell Ron. He's going to overreact if he hears it from anyone else." She shot Draco a pointed look. "You can use the floo network now if you want. Or you can wait until a reasonable time, like eight or so. Just do it before he leaves for work, okay?"

"Thank you, Hermione. I know I haven't always been the greatest friend but I hope we can-"

Hermione stopped Lavender by holding up her hand. "Please stop and go now. Save the eloquent speech for when you tell Ron about the baby."

"Will do, thank you so much!" Lavender smiled at Hermione and dragged Parvati out of the flat. The sound of them apparating away was heard by Hermione and Draco, so Draco slammed the door shut.

"Merlin, those two annoy me so much!"

"You hardly spoke to them!" Hermione pointed out, setting her mug in the sink.

"And I am glad of that fact," Draco said, scooping Hermione up and carrying her back to bed. "Maybe this time we'll get lucky and no one will interrupt our night."

"I highly doubt that, love, so long as I'm Harry's friend. Be content that at least this time there wasn't a raid going on."

* * *

><p>AN: So the first chapter of this story got over 3,000 hits! Why isn't that happening still? Not that I'm complaining - I love you all - but I am curious. Sorry I don't update all too much, but sometimes I get writer's block and I have family stuff come up a lot...no excuses, I know. I'll try to update more often. Leave a review to get me started! :D

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	21. Chapter Twenty One

December 30th, 2011

A/N: My cousin is sleeping over at my house for the weekend, which means this is probably going to take much longer than I intended… Happy New Year's, everyone! Hope you all had a blast, hope no one drank and drove, and hope you didn't throw up all over your friends' carpet. I had lots of fun writing this because I can only imagine the reactions it will get – the chapter, not the author's note. Although…that'll be fun too. Thanks to Cat for beta reading! (:

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Twenty One (SQUEE!)

As Hermione advised, Lavender told Ron about the pregnancy as soon as she could. She apparated to the Burrow as soon as she woke up on April twenty sixth, and stormed into the room Ron shared with Harry.

Harry grabbed his wand the moment the door hit the wall, and was visibly tense until he put on his glasses and saw that it was Lavender who barged in. Ron took a little longer to come to, but when he did he rushed to Lavender's side.

"Are you alright? What happened yesterday?" he asked, taking Lavender's hands in his and sitting her down on his bed.

Lavender glanced at Harry, who nodded at her and promptly left. At least one of the boys wasn't horribly daft.

"Ron, please promise me that you won't get mad," Lavender said, combing her fingers through her hair repeatedly. Ron personally found the habit incredibly vexing, but he would never let Lavender know that.

"I promise."

"Well, then…ah…I'm pregnant," Lavender blurted.

"You're pregnant?" Ron exclaimed. Lavender stared at him and he lowered his voice. "I just…you're pregnant? How is that possible?"

"I think you very well know how it's possible," Lavender replied flatly.

"Right," Ron said, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "I thought you were using that charm though!"

"I was," Lavender whispered. "It might not have been foolproof. I got it from Witch Weekly."

"Merlin's beard, what will everyone say? You're pregnant and we're not even married! My mother will kill me."

"That's the solution!" Lavender said, beaming at Ron. "That's how we solve the problem! We get married as soon as possible, and the others will think the baby came early. We'll just tell your mum that we want a spontaneous wedding and we'll get everything done."

Ron made a valiant effort to keep his mouth closed until the initial shock wore off. Lavender wanted to get _married_? _Soon_? Ron didn't think he was ready for that. Lavender was great – she was working on being less clingy, and she hardly ever argued with him. But Ron didn't know if he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Now he had to, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"I-Do you want to tell her together?" Ron asked.

"I can't tell her by myself, Ron," Lavender told him quietly.

"And Parvati knows."

"Parvati knows," Lavender answered. She hesitated, then added, "So does Hermione."

Ron couldn't keep his jaw from dropping that time. "_Hermione_ knows? Hermione Granger? Why does she know?"

"I couldn't deal with this on my own, Ron! And she's such an understanding person, and she let me talk without judging me. Without judging me out loud, anyway. She helped me be okay with this. I was a mess before I talked to her."

"Alright, I understand. Hermione is the witch you go to when you have a problem. But why didn't you let me know first?"

"I was scared," Lavender admitted. "I didn't know if you would be happy, or mad, or as scared as I was. As scared as I am. Hermione knows how to word things so they don't sound as bad. That's why I went to her."

"Now all we have to do is tell Mum," Ron said, sighing. "Let's get this over with." He stood and when Lavender was standing as well, he drew her into a hug. "Everything will turn out fine, Lav. Don't worry."

* * *

><p>Hermione slowly opened her eyes and let them adjust to the light filtering in through the curtains. She rolled over, expecting to find Draco lying next to her, already awake or still asleep, but he was gone. Instead, she found a note.<p>

_Morning love, _

_You've probably tried skimming the note. I can tell you that won't work. I charmed it so you wouldn't be able to see the bottom until you've read the whole thing. Ha, and you thought you were the only one who ever read a book. _

_Anyway, today is August first. Do you remember what happened on this day, exactly one year ago? _

_We ran into each other at a book store, and you completely turned my life around. _

_I used to think you were an annoying, buck-toothed know-it-all that could never shut her mouth, but now you're my whole world. So would you mind doing me the honor of becoming my wife?_

_Yes, Granger, I just proposed to you. You'll be able to see the ring in a moment._

Hermione stared at the ring, which sported the largest diamond she'd ever seen. Hermione would be afraid to walk out in public wearing that big of a jewel, lest it get stolen. However, her attention drifted, because it seemed as if Draco wasn't quite finished with his proposal.

_I love you, and whenever you think you have your answer, I'll be waiting outside. _

_Love always and forever,_

_Draco_

"What a bloody romantic," Hermione thought aloud, smiling even as tears filled her eyes. She swung her legs off the side of the bed and quietly padded to the kitchen, where she expected Draco to be. She had not thought they would get engaged for a while, but they had talked about it at least three times, hadn't they? Honestly, Hermione was happy. She was really happy.

Draco's back was to her as he stirred a spoonful of sugar into his coffee. Hermione snuck up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Well hello, Granger," Draco said companionably without turning around. "Does that mean your answer is yes? Should I start calling you Malfoy from now on?"

Hermione giggled, which she almost never did, and nodded. "Yeah," she whispered into the fabric of Draco's shirt. "We're getting married!"

Draco chuckled and faced Hermione, lifting her off the ground and spinning in a circle with her in his embrace. "I suppose we are," he said, kissing her before setting her down. "Who do you want to know first? And by that I mean, who do you want to go into a tizzy about planning this wedding first?"

"It has to be Harry," Hermione replied immediately. "He's my best friend – he's like my brother. I have to let him know."

"Oh, Potter already knows. I told him a while ago, when I first got the ring."

Hermione gaped at Draco. "How-I thought you hated Harry! No, never mind that. I just thought you weren't close enough to him to tell him about your plans," she said.

Draco shrugged. "I had to tell him. What do you suppose your parents would think of me if I kept showing up at their house uninvited and unannounced and asked for their blessing?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "They're already suspicious of me because you haven't introduced me properly." He stopped talking when he noticed Hermione struggling to keep the crestfallen look off of her face. Draco tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear and kissed her nose. "Hermione, I didn't mean it like that. But we're engaged now. You should let your parents know."

"I should…but I don't think I can, or will," Hermione mumbled, acting the part of a child caught in a bad act as she studied the floor and avoided meeting Draco's gaze.

Grasping Hermione's chin gently but firmly (A/N: ah, that's used so much nowadays…anyways…), Draco made her look at him in the eye. "Hermione…" Hermione prepared herself for an emotional speech about overcoming fears (as did Lauren's readers) but Draco completely surprised her by saying, "Suck it up, owl or call your parents or whatever it is you Muggle-borns do, and arrange a meeting with them. It's about time all three of you got over something that is _in the past_."

"You're right. You may go about things in an odd fashion, but you are right. I'll try and act the part of a Gryffindor, and I'll call my mum and dad," Hermione said, smiling weakly. "Does anyone else besides us know?"

"Blaise knows, which means Gina knows, which means Cat knows, which means George knows, and I think you know where this is heading."

"So technically everyone that we'll be telling already knows, except for my parents," Hermione said, laughing. "Why are we going to waste time apparating, then? As you've told me before, a lot of planning goes into a wedding." She grinned at Draco and squealed when he slung her over his shoulder. "What are you doing? I have to start planning!"

"I do not want my fiancé," Draco put extra emphasis on that word, "threatening to kill me because she's worrying far too much about something that won't happen for a few months. Remember what I did the last time I wanted you to relax?"

Hermione paused for a moment. She wanted to delay her meeting with her parents for as long as possible. If Draco wanted to provide an excuse, she would gladly take it.

"Does this relaxation process you're suggesting involve clothing?" Hermione asked as Draco started nipping her ear.

Draco stopped teasing Hermione long enough to snort in disbelief. "Of course not."

* * *

><p>Harry was baffled when Hermione asked him to walk her down the aisle. He couldn't very well say no, so he did say yes, but he thought things were improving between Hermione and her parents. Draco had vowed to help, hadn't he?<p>

It wouldn't do any good to dwell on things like that. Harry could only be supportive of Hermione's decisions, the way he had to be supportive of Ron wherever and whenever Lavender was involved.

_How is Ron going to react?_ Harry wondered internally as he paced back and forth in Ginny's bedroom. She watched him calmly, and even began to read a magazine when it appeared that Harry would be occupied in his own little world for a while. Harry was displaying many of the downsides of dating the Chosen One, but Ginny was used to his quirks by then.

"If you're worried about Ron's feelings, you should go and see how he takes it when Hermione and Draco tell everyone else about their engagement at dinner on Sunday," Ginny suggested. "I'm certain that he's the only one that doesn't know already."

"What if he finds out that I knew? That you knew? Won't he get mad?"

"No doubt," Ginny said, going over to Harry and kissing him. "Don't let it get to you if Ron gets mad. It's his own fault for cheating on Hermione. Now I'm actually starting to like the fact that he did, though. Draco really makes Hermione happy."

"He does," Harry said, resting his cheek on the top of Ginny's head. "He's not so bad anymore. But do they have to be so…sweet all the time? It's disgusting."

"You act as if we're not disgustingly sweet," Ginny responded, leading Harry to the kitchen.

Harry chuckled and managed to act interested as Ginny went on about the parties she was going to throw Hermione. He tuned out when she went into detail about the bachelorette party – Harry didn't need to know what the girls were going to do there – and tuned back in when Ginny was done rambling about that. Eventually Charlie entered the room, and Ginny caught him up in current events.

After Ginny led a dazed Charlie to the sitting room, Ron slumped into the kitchen with Lavender in tow.

"How did the appointment with the healer go?" Harry asked, pouring all three of them a mug of pumpkin juice.

"Lav's around three months in, but it won't be too obvious for a while," Ron said, gulping down his drink and searching for something a bit stronger. Lavender noticed and frowned, but she didn't voice her opinions.

"Have you decided a date for the wedding?"

"It has to be soon," Lavender said firmly. "Otherwise I won't be able to fit into a wedding dress. I talked to Mrs. Weasley and we agreed that we should have the ceremony on September eighth. It won't be my dream wedding, but Won-Won and Mrs. Weasley are doing everything they can to make it special."

"I'm sure Won-Won will make the wedding extraordinary," Harry told Lavender, somehow suppressing his laughter so as not to offend her. Ron glared at him and Harry shrugged, his body language hinting at his sarcastic thoughts, 'What can you do?'

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Hermione took the day off of work, as did Draco. Gina and Cat were not subtle whatsoever, and told Hermione she could take the week off if she wanted. They tried to muffle their shrieks of joy by covering the speaker on the phone, but even Draco could hear them. He grinned at Hermione and coaxed a small snicker out of her. She stopped and let Gina and Cat know she'd see them later, and snuggled up to Draco on the couch.<p>

"They're excited, then?" Draco said, nuzzling Hermione's neck.

"They're incredibly excited," Hermione replied. She tilted her head back and studied Draco.

"See something you like, Granger?" Draco smirked. He liked that he knew when Hermione was looking at him, or was close to him. It made their relationship seem even more real.

"You need to get a haircut before the wedding," Hermione said, tugging on a few strands of Draco's hair.

"I will, love," Draco replied, mostly to appease Hermione, which she knew and chose to ignore.

The couple stayed like that for a while, lying close to each other on the couch, discussing their honeymoon. They decided on Paris, because it would remind the both of them of what happened after Draco got back from France in January. They also decided on September second as their wedding date, so if they had children, which Hermione intended to, they could celebrate their anniversary alone, because their daughters and sons would be at Hogwarts by then.

"Would you want a boy or a girl first?" Hermione asked, tracing patterns on Draco's shirt.

"I'm not sure," Draco said, kissing her nose. "What about you?"

"A boy," Hermione answered. Sensing a question, she continued, "To take care of our little girls."

Draco smiled. "You are such a hopeless romantic," he teased, lightly running his fingers down Hermione's spine.

"Stop, I'm trying to have a conversation with you," Hermione said sternly. Some part of her mind wondered if she was frightening Draco with her talk of children, but she felt secure with him, so she refused to think about that possibility for too long.

"I suppose you have names for these children, too." Draco was serious when he said that. Knowing Hermione, she would even tell him what Hogwarts houses they would be in as well as the names.

"I wanted to name two of them after Remus and Tonks," Hermione announced. "They had just started their life together…and they were so supportive and caring about everything. It wouldn't be first names, just a middle name," she finished, less confidently.

Draco rested his forehead against Hermione's shoulder. "That's a brilliant plan, 'Mione, and I mean it. I hate to sound insensitive, although who would have thought I'd say that, but do you want to go to lunch?"

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed together, but she saw where Draco was coming from. They were engaged and they should have been celebrating. Hermione had brought up fallen heroes in a conversation that was meant to be joyous and full of hope. Luckily for her, Draco accepted that part of her and even Harry, because he was scarred too, and he didn't want Hermione to hide the majority of herself for his sake.

"Let's go to lunch, then," Hermione said, kissing Draco and hugging him tightly. "Where did you have in mind?"

* * *

><p>Zachary Goldman and Benjamin Warrant stood outside of Draco Malfoy's door, waiting for him to exit his flat. They had been impatient before, and learned from that mistake. They would stay alert no matter how long it took Draco to walk into their trap.<p>

Benjamin had prepared himself for a failed assignment, but the sound of a doorknob turning could be heard. Draco and a brown-haired witch stepped out of the flat a moment later. The plan didn't account for him to have company. A sign from Zachary told Benjamin that his partner had had a sudden stroke of genius, and he stayed where he was as Zachary acted on that genius.

Hermione reached for her wand when she saw the Death Eaters, but she didn't have time to stun the wizards. Goldman grabbed her and disapparated while Draco and Benjamin looked on, one in horror, the other in surprise.

"What the hell?" Draco screamed, too aghast at what had just happened to respond in time to stop Benjamin from shoving him against the wall in an attempt to delay him long enough to chase after his partner, his hands dangerously close to Draco's neck. "Where the fuck did he take her?" he shouted as he fought against the man's hold.

"I don't know!"

"Bullshit," Draco spat as he fought to free himself.

"Honestly, I don't know."

* * *

><p>AN: I assume some of you hate me now xD That's alright. Tell me what y'all think. Should Lavender's baby be a boy or a girl? I kind of want a boy because of Hermione's reason, and there's Rose too, and Hugo, and another kid I won't mention now because that would ruin a surprise...

Also, where did Zach take Hermione! Even I don't know! Suggestions? :D

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	22. Chapter Twenty Two

January 2nd, 2012

A/N: I got a lot of positive feedback and I must say, thank you all for your suggestions! To clear something up: I am keeping the names Rose and Hugo, and Scorpius, and all of the Potter children. In fact, most of the original names will be kept. The reason for Rose and Hugo…it's my way of showing Ron never gets over Hermione. Roses could be her favorite flower, and Lavender's as well so she doesn't mind, and Hugo could simply be Ron's idea for a child.

For those of you on Twitter, I now tweet! It's still weird, but I post whenever I upload a new chapter for those of you who can't put me on alert here. "writersanon375" If you tell me where you're from (as in here) I'll follow you back.

Oh, um, one more thing. Sorry for this. I just wanted to say THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for writing me over one hundred reviews! It is HIGHLY appreciated! :D

Thank you for being an awesome beta as usual, Cat (:

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Twenty Two

Hermione threw punches, she executed well-aimed kicks, and she screamed at the top of her lungs, but to no avail. There was no one around to save her, and her wand was confiscated by Goldman the moment they apparated.

She wouldn't allow herself to grow too worried, though. Draco would undoubtedly go ballistic and tell Harry what happened, and they would organize an entire search party full of Ministry Aurors. If Hermione couldn't escape by herself, it didn't matter. She'd get away eventually.

"Stop resisting, you filthy Mudblood," Zachary spat, slapping Hermione so hard she saw stars and fell onto the ground. "Learn your place, and learn how to respect your betters."

Hermione bit back a sharp retort that would most likely ensue in Goldman using the Cruciatus Curse on her. In her experience with Bellatrix Lestrange, silence was key, because it would frustrate her torturer until they finally gave up on trying to wrestle information out of her. She would go through all hell, but she wouldn't give a Death Eater the satisfaction of breaking her.

"That's right," Zachary sneered, taking Hermione's stubborn silence the wrong way. "You're just another wild bitch that needs to be tamed."

_Merlin, I don't think I've ever actually hated a person this much before! _Hermione thought as Zachary hauled her up only to shove her into a dark room devoid of any light source.

"I'll be back for you later," Zachary said menacingly. He leered at Hermione and left, slamming the door shut.

Goldman was gone. Hermione focused on the door and struggled to unlock it. She was quite capable in any kind of magic there was, but when she tried the doorknob it wouldn't turn.

"What…" Then it hit her. The room was magic-proof. It was probably draining hers and taking it in to make itself stronger. Hermione worried her bottom lip and sighed. Death Eaters were improving on thinking things through, which was not good for her, the Ministry, or Harry in any way.

"Draco, please hurry," Hermione whispered, sinking down onto the floor. She feared the worst now. She couldn't fight back with magic, and she remembered what Fenrir Greyback had threatened to do when Bellatrix had Hermione at her mercy. Greyback was as vile as they came, but who was to say that Goldman wasn't just as bad?

_As Cat would say, I am in deep now._

* * *

><p>Draco couldn't believe that Warrant didn't know where Goldman took Hermione. They were partners. They plotted together. How could he <em>not know<em>?

"Expecto Patronum!" Draco muttered. A silver cat burst out of the tip of his wand and left to find Harry. Draco couldn't find Hermione by himself, and Potter had resources.

Benjamin watched Draco's Patronus go. He couldn't conjure one himself – most Death Eaters were unable to – but he understood the meaning of the form Patronuses took. He assumed that the cat had something to do with the brown-haired witch Zachary had taken.

"You must have some idea as to where he took her," Draco snarled at Benjamin. "It was part of your plan, wasn't it? Goldman wouldn't have acted all spontaneous if it hadn't been planned! Death Eaters are never spontaneous or independent!"

"I swear on my life that Zachary said nothing about what he was planning on doing," Benjamin choked out through his outrage at being left behind and being treated the way he was. "He acted of his own accord. It was not on our leader's orders."

Warrant wasn't going to tell him anything important, that much was evident. Draco furiously thought _Incarcerous _and watched as ropes wrapped themselves around Benjamin.

Harry suddenly appeared, looking extremely disheveled. His glasses were askew, his hair mussed – but that wasn't out of the ordinary. What was out of the ordinary, however, was the panicked expression on his face.

"What happened? Where is she?" Harry asked. He glanced at Warrant and the Dark Mark on his left arm, and gave Draco his full attention again. "Did you already get as much as you could from this bastard?"

Hermione was known for hitting people on the head with a ridiculously heavy book whenever they swore around her, so Harry tried to keep from swearing in general. But Hermione wasn't there right then, which was the problem, and Harry felt that she wouldn't be able to blame him if he ever decided to tell her.

"He claims he doesn't know anything," Draco said, glaring at Benjamin. "His damn partner grabbed Hermione and disapparated before we registered what was happening. I have no idea where he took her."

"For the love of Merlin!" Harry faced Benjamin. "I hate to say this, but I'm Harry Potter and I can get you sentenced to Azkaban or a Dementor's kiss in a heartbeat. If you don't tell us all that you know and we find out about, you are a dead man."

Draco hadn't thought Harry would lose his cool head. That's how he had survived for so long, right? By keeping a cool and level head? To witness that failing was amazing. Draco supposed he wasn't the only one that cared about Hermione as much as he did. She was loved by plenty of people, even if she wasn't aware of it.

_And she might never be…_ Draco's pessimistic side told him. He resisted the urge to strangle himself. Thinking like that would just make him an incompetent fool who couldn't hold his own weight in the raid that would take place to get Hermione back.

"Potter, what do you have by means of a plan?" Draco asked abruptly. The sooner they got to work, the faster he would be reunited with Hermione. Time was officially of the essence.

* * *

><p>Hermione, though on the brink of fainting, was able to recognize the person, or rather, color, standing in front of her. <em>Pink.<em>

"Tut tut, Miss Granger. You should stand when a person of higher rank than you enters the room. It seems as if you still have much to learn," the sweet, simpering voice said patronizingly. It was the voice that had induced fear and hatred during its reign at Hogwarts, and it was one Hermione would never forget.

Zachary kicked her in the ribs, but Hermione refused to let out so much as a whimper. She glared at Dolores Umbridge with pure disdain and loathing. This was the woman who tortured first years for skipping in hallways, the one who treated Muggle-borns and half-bloods like the dirt on the bottom of her magenta colored shoes. This was the woman who was supposed to be in Azkaban, getting what she deserved. She was not supposed to be running free, wreaking havoc in a just turned peaceful community.

As much as Hermione wanted to ask Umbridge what she was doing there, she knew she wouldn't get an actual answer from the toad herself. Zachary would only abuse her more. It was possible that if she waited and showed no signs of curiosity, they would tell her of their own accord. Predictability was always a convenient and prized quality in an enemy one was looking to bring down.

"Why, my dear, I must say, though you are only a lowly Mudblood, you are by far the best witch of your time. We were thinking that you might help us with something," Umbridge said, a smile oozing insincerity on her powdered face. "Not that you have a choice, of course." She giggled like a young schoolgirl and Hermione caught Zachary performing unprofessionally as he rolled his eyes.

_What would they need my help with?_ Hermione thought, mulling over the things she was good at. She was fairly competent in all areas, but she wasn't extraordinary in the slightest, especially to the extent that Death Eaters would seek her assistance.

"You have heard or read about my sentence to that horrid, rancid prison, have you not? I'm sure you have. It was dreadful, of course. A high-bred, pureblood woman shouldn't undergo anything like that." Umbridge looked at Hermione, obviously expecting some sort of response. Hermione nodded obediently, far from agreeing on the inside. "I plan to reinstate myself in the Ministry. I will get rid of every dirty, dreadful thing taking up space in our world. I will make it pure again."

The situation was worse than Hermione had originally deemed it to be. Far worse, if Umbridge was controlling the Death Eaters, for she had a way of organizing chaos and using it to her advantage. Of all people, she would find a way to climb back to power again, despite her betrayals and wretched beliefs. Kingsley was a good Minister, a strong one, but if he was out-voted, there was not much he could do.

"God help us all," Hermione muttered, so softly that not even Zachary, who was too close for her liking, could hear her.

Meanwhile, at the Ministry, Kingsley Shacklebolt purposefully made his way toward Harry's office, hoping to find the man himself there. He had terrible news.

* * *

><p>Draco was against telling Ron about Hermione's kidnapping. Harry argued that Ron, as well as the rest of their friends, deserved to know. They could assist him and Draco in parts of the plan that would require more wands.<p>

"Fine, do what you like, Potter, but while you're letting Weaselbee know what happened, I will be trying to figure out a way to get Hermione back," Draco said tonelessly. Harry didn't let his words bother him. He knew Draco was lashing out at him because he was so worried about Hermione. Everyone went about dealing with anxiety in their own strange means.

"Owl me or send your Patronus if you think of anything important, or if you need anything," Harry told Draco. He nodded at the pale blonde man once and made his way to the Ministry.

It wasn't long until Harry was walking into Ron's office. He had made sure to knock before opening the door, because he didn't even want to consider what it would be like if Lavender was in there too.

Ron looked up, taking in Harry's haggard appearance and the apparent distress in his eyes. As a war veteran, Ron's first assumption was that someone had passed away, someone like Ginny.

"What happened?" he asked, jumping to his feet. "Is everyone alright?"

"Your family is fine," Harry said resignedly, leaning against the recently closed door. "It's Hermione."

"What's wrong with her? Malfoy knock her up?"

Harry glowered at Ron. "You're one to talk, aren't you, getting married to a girl even though you don't love her because you got her pregnant!"

Ron gawked at Harry in disbelief. "What's gotten into you? Has Malfoy brainwashed you as well as Hermione?"

"I'm not going to bother defending myself or Draco or Hermione to you, because there's something else that deserves more of my time. Hermione's been taken by Death Eaters and we have no idea where she is."

"Why did you take so long to share that piece of news, huh? I should've known first!" Ron bellowed.

"Tell me why you should've known first, Ron! You're not dating her anymore! She's _engaged_, and you need to get that into your thick head," Harry snapped, finally at his wit's end. "She was happy, really happy, and it all got ruined because Voldemort's old cronies are acting up, because _we_ aren't doing our jobs properly! We need to find her and save her!"

"I'm not going to disagree with that, but this conversation isn't over."

"Grow up, Ron," Harry said firmly. "It's not all about you anymore."

"Right, because it's always been about you!"

"If you don't stop right now, we will go through with this raid without you," Harry threatened. He would not deal with Ronald Weasley's petty issues when he could be retrieving Hermione.

"Fine, have it your way," Ron spat. "I'll keep my mouth shut. But I'm helping with this raid, even if I have to work with the ferret."

Harry frowned. So this was how exasperated and annoyed Hermione had felt whenever he had written off Draco. It was bloody repetitive.

* * *

><p>Hermione drifted in and out of consciousness. Umbridge used the Cruciatus Curse on her whenever she didn't answer in a satisfactory manner, which happened often. Zachary interfered and used the Imperius Curse once, abusing the power he had to make Hermione literally throw herself at him. Umbridge disarmed him to put a stop to it.<p>

"Do not belittle yourself, Zachary. You can do much better than a Mudblood." What an odd kind of encouragement, one that could only come from Dolores Umbridge.

"I was only having a bit of fun, Dolores. I wouldn't stoop so low as to interact with a woman of dirty blood," Zachary said indignantly.

"You should never feel the urge to, my dear. If you must, you may leave and check on our lovely hostess, and see how she's doing," Umbridge suggested, smiling. "And do thank the lady Malfoy for allowing us to use her home." Though she was looking at Goldman, Hermione knew Umbridge meant for her to catch the last sentence.

If she was being held captive in Malfoy Manor, Draco would be able to find her easily. Unless he never suspected his childhood home as a place where Death Eaters might take his fiancé, which would be quite problematic.

_I cannot believe Narcissa is helping these people_, Hermione thought, more than a little disturbed. Hadn't Narcissa changed? Or had the warm welcome Hermione had received at her gala been a fake?

_No, I will not dwell on this for long_. Umbridge wanted her to doubt the witches and wizards she considered allies and friends. Hermione had to keep her faith in Draco's mother, the way she kept her faith in Draco during the time of their relationship, and even their school years, when she refused to listen to Harry's notions about Draco being a Death Eater.

"I recall you being a very expressive girl, Miss Granger," said Umbridge. "Why has that changed? Why are you not questioning me incessantly? You must have an abundant amount of questions about to burst out of you."

Hermione merely looked back at Umbridge, her face carefully molded into a blank mask. Umbridge's happened to reform into a snarl.

"You impertinent, disrespectful child!" Umbridge screeched. "You will answer when spoken to!"

"Did the centaurs treat you nicely, Dolores?" Hermione asked, her tone fierce and unmerciful. "Did you have a good time after they carried you off?"

Umbridge seemed as if she would like to kill Hermione right then. "I order you to be quiet, now!"

"You told me to answer when spoken to," Hermione retorted. "How did it feel to be forced to watch while filthy half-breeds had their way with you?"

"ZACHARY GOLDMAN!" Umbridge cried at the top of her lungs. "COME DOWN HERE THIS INSTANCE AND HANDLE THIS AWFUL MUDBLOOD!" She drew in a shaky breath and pointed her wand at Hermione. "_Crucio_!"

Hermione kept her mouth clamped shut and prepared to have more pain inflicted on her by Goldman's hands. The Death Eater that tromped down the stairs, however, was one that Hermione could not recollect the name of no matter how hard she tried. All she could do was relate him to Bellatrix.

"Oh, you're here. Good – it's nice to know one of you horrid Death Eaters can be timely. Rodolphus, this is Hermione Granger," Umbridge said.

_You have got to be kidding me!_ Hermione couldn't fathom the breach in Azkaban's security. If Rodolphus Lestrange and Dolores Umbridge had gotten out, who was to say other villains equally bad or worse would be able to too?

"I've heard she was quite enjoyable to torture," Rodolphus said calmly, as if he was commenting on the weather or a pleasant place to visit during a vacation. He wasn't as maniacal as his dead wife, but he wasn't entirely sane either.

"Quite," Umbridge replied distractedly. She nodded at Rodolphus. "You will take care of her until I get back." She gave no indications as to when she would get back, but the Death Eaters she worked with were used to that particular inconvenience.

Rodolphus and Hermione watched Umbridge's retreating, pink-clad back disappear. Rodolphus smiled, quite menacingly, and Hermione braced herself for the worst.

* * *

><p>AN: Yeah. This author's note will be shorter. I just wanted to thank you all again, and apologize that this chapter is a little shorter than the others.

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	23. Chapter Twenty Three

January 5th, 2012

A/N: We're past 20,000 hits, everyone! Gah, this is so exciting. I want to thank you all for your lovely reviews and appreciated support, and your amazing suggestions. I honestly hadn't thought about Hermione being taken for herself until one of you mentioned it. You're all amazing, and my way of paying you back for being so wonderfully awesome is filling this chapter with a lot. Also, if you ever just want to talk, feel free to PM me. I love helping people :D It's the least I can do, since you lot help me all the time.

Thanks to the lovely Cat for beta reading this!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter Twenty Three

After three weeks of being tortured, Hermione was breaking. She wasn't losing her mind quite yet – she had too big of a mind to lose that quickly – but she did let out the occasional whimper and once screamed while under the Cruciatus Curse. Umbridge especially took pleasure in hurting her.

It wasn't exactly the pain that was causing Hermione to falter in her stubborn silence. It was more the fact that no sign of a rescue party had been made clear, and that she couldn't even use her magic to heal a minor cut.

Narcissa went down to the basement from time to time. Her eyes were glazed over, and she moved about in a dream-like state. It was obvious to Hermione that she was under the Imperius, which caused her to feel some minor amount of relief for an extremely short while. The fact that the Imperius could only be broken by a person with strong will dampened any good spirits Hermione had.

On August twenty second, Hermione heard a loud bang from the floor above the basement. She didn't think much of it – a house elf could have dropped something. But when several pairs of feet rushed over the stairs, she sat up and stared at the door locking her in.

_Boom!_

The door burst into a million tiny pieces, and in its place stood Draco, clutching an empty vial that had contained a potion up until then.

Despite her shock, Hermione managed to say, albeit faintly, "I had no idea about your expertise in pyrotechnics, love."

"Hermione, thank Merlin," Draco breathed out, running over to Hermione and taking her up in his arms. "How are you? Are you hurt badly?"

For the first time in twenty one days, Hermione relaxed. "I'm as well as can be expected."

"I'm sorry it took so long," Draco said, kissing every part of Hermione's head he could reach. "We saw Rodolphus Lestrange with my mother. Harry's dealing with him now. Did they do anything to you?"

Hermione shook her head and squeezed Draco's hand. "Please, let's just get out of here."

Draco's eyebrows furrowed together in worry as he tucked a lock of Hermione's filthy, ridiculously tangled hair behind her ear. "I've got your wand," he said, taking it out of his pocket and handing it to her. "Let's go."

Followed by several Aurors, Hermione and Draco emerged in the main floor of Malfoy Manor. Harry was dueling Lestrange with ease, and by the time one would think the battle was going on for too long, he killed the man. Nearby, Ron shot a stunner at Zachary, followed by the spell _Reducto_. Goldman's ribs shrunk until they pierced his lungs, and he collapsed.

"Where's Umbridge?" Hermione asked, wide-eyed.

"Umbridge was here?" Harry replied, quickly stepping up to Hermione's side. He drew her into a hug and heaved a sigh of unrepressed relief.

"She was here," Hermione affirmed, hugging Harry back. "I think she was the one who organized the whole thing."

Harry nodded and tightened his grip around Hermione before he let her go. "We'll solve that problem later, tighten up security at Azkaban. First, we need to get you home."

"No, Potter. Hermione needs to be looked over by healers first," Draco intervened severely. "If we're taking her anywhere, it'll be St. Mungo's."

"I can't argue with that," Harry said. "We'll go immediately."

"Hermione!"

Draco's head snapped towards the direction of the sound and he automatically scowled. Ron tried to put a hand on Hermione's shoulder, to convince himself that she was okay, but she shrunk away from his touch, further into Draco.

"Ron, leave it," said Harry, when he saw Ron's mouth open in protest. "She was tortured and she needs time to recover."

"You're alright," Draco whispered, pressing a kiss to Hermione's forehead. His gentle demeanor with her was entirely different from his harsh, critical one around Harry and Ron. "They can't hurt you any longer. It's just Potter and Weasley."

Hermione was receptive enough to Harry, but she was no longer used to physical contact with Ron. The memories of being molested by Zachary and sometimes Rodolphus were fresh still. Hermione daren't mention the theory she had about not being comfortable around men other than Harry and Draco for a while aloud. She didn't need to go to therapy, the way she had after the Battle of Hogwarts. She could deal with this problem on her own.

Draco apparated to St. Mungo's first, along with Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the other Weasleys who had assisted them in the raid. The remaining Aurors went to the Ministry, to file a report about what happened and to search for Umbridge.

At the hospital, Hermione had two options: to be examined by women healers, or Draco. Obviously, she chose Draco.

There was little external damage – some odd amount of bruises and a new scar given to her by the late Rodolphus Lestrange. Draco hissed when he saw the damage done to his fiancé, and was glad the Death Eaters were dead.

"It's possible that you may suffer from long-term effects after being subject to the Cruciatus for so long," Draco told Hermione, maintaining a somewhat professional attitude, though Hermione saw the raw emotion in his eyes.

She smiled wanly. "Don't fret so much. As you can see, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."

"I'm sure you want to sleep. And shower, too," Draco added, blatantly staring at Hermione's hair. She chuckled and hit him on the arm, then allowed him to take her back to his flat.

Hermione did take a shower – in fact, she took two. She crawled into bed, wearing Draco's old Slytherin Quidditch jersey, and fell asleep at once. Draco checked in on her literally every minute, and got next to nothing done because of it.

When Hermione woke up, four hours after originally falling asleep, Draco was by her side, his face buried in her mane of hair (which was blissfully clean by then).

"I'm sorry you got taken because of me," he said softly. Hermione didn't correct Draco. She didn't have the answers he would most certainly want; she never did learn what Umbridge needed her help with. However, Hermione suspected that she would find out sooner or later, whether she wanted to or not.

* * *

><p>Up until the day before Ron and Lavender's wedding, Draco walked on eggshells around Hermione. He hardly ever argued with her – and they used to argue every other day – and would wait on her hand and foot. Now, Draco was still a Malfoy, which made this uncharacteristic behavior even stranger. Hermione found it funny, so she didn't say anything on the matter.<p>

On the day _of_ Ron's wedding, Draco blindly headed towards Hermione whilst unsuccessfully trying to knot a tie in a decent manner. She smiled and performed the task for him, then sat back down on the sitting room couch.

"Why aren't you dressed?" Draco asked, as Hermione was still in her pajamas.

"I thought it would be best if I didn't go," Hermione said, tucking her feet underneath her and wrapping her arms around her knees. "I, um, I'm not feeling well today," she continued. She wasn't lying, exactly. Her head was throbbing painfully and she didn't know the cause of it. But Hermione didn't want to go to the wedding and ruin it for Lavender, who looked overcome with guilt whenever she passed by. It was a good day for them and Hermione wouldn't be the reason it turned bad.

"Do you want me to stay with you? I won't be missed."

"Are you offering out of concern or do you just not want to attend the wedding?"

"In all honesty, a mix of both," Draco answered, settling down next to Hermione, who snuggled into his side, laughing.

"It's good to know you can still be honest."

"Whatever do you mean?" Draco asked, feigning surprise.

Hermione grinned. "You've been nothing but nice to me for weeks now. You've even invited Harry here a couple of times. I'm not going to break, Draco. I promise you that much."

As per usual, Hermione was comforting Draco when he should have been comforting her. Who was the one that had gotten tortured for three weeks on end? Hermione. Who was the one being comforted? Draco.

Draco hated that he wasn't the strong one or the brave one in their relationship. In reality, he was both of those things; Hermione just a tad more so in some situations. Luckily she saw what Draco did not; she saw that he was slowly turning into a promising young Gryffindor, though his Slytherin side threatened to come out from time to time. Hermione loved him all the more for the odd combination.

* * *

><p>Ron and Lavender's wedding had a wonderful turn-out. Their Hogwarts classmates and fellow war veterans made appearances, as well as representatives from several newspapers and magazines. There were the families from both sides, naturally, and a few crashers, but the more the merrier.<p>

Harry, Fred, George, and Neville were Ron's groomsmen, Harry being the best man. Parvati, Padma, a former Hogwarts lion named Fay, and Ginny were Lavender's bridesmaids. Ginny was chosen to be one because she was Ron's only sister and Lavender was genuinely fond of her, though Parvati was still the maid of honor.

After the ceremony and during the reception – hell, even during the ceremony – Ron scanned the gathered witches and wizards for one Hermione Granger. He didn't see her once. Her git of a fiancé wasn't there either.

"Congratulations, Ron," Harry said, smiling at the redhead and handing a glass to him.

"Yeah, thanks. Have you seen Hermione?" Ron asked before he could stop himself.

"No, but she called me earlier and said she wouldn't be coming. She doesn't feel well today. Draco thinks it's the long-term effects of the Cruciatus finally showing," Harry replied. "She's doing better now."

"Who told you this? Hermione?"

Ron disliked the sympathetic way Harry looked at him. "She was asleep when I called to check in on her. Draco answered," Harry said.

"What, you're friends with him now? What happened to thinking he was an absolute arse?" Ron spat. "He gave us away when those damn Snatchers caught us, and let his bitch of an aunt torture Hermione."

Harry pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose and sighed. "And he's been torturing himself ever since for his past mistakes. Ron, why do you care so much? You just got _married_. You should be happy. I was ecstatic when I got married to Ginny." The two were doing very well together, by the way, and had managed to have a wedding where the only people present were ones they knew personally. They now lived in Grimmauld Place, which had been renovated using lots – and that does mean quite a lot – of magic.

"You didn't get married because Ginny was expecting a baby," Ron pointed out. He paused. "She isn't expecting a baby, right? You would have told me, and the others, wouldn't you?"

"Gin is not pregnant," Harry said. "Now you've got to get over your grudge against Hermione, mate, because she's trying to be friends with you again and it'd be nice if you'd meet her halfway. Besides, Lavender needs more support in the family. Female support, I mean."

"Hermione's technically not a part of the family."

"I really didn't want to get mad at you on your wedding day, Ron," Harry said, frowning. "Saying she isn't part of the family is like saying I'm not. Grow up, mate. You're about to start a real family of your own, and your child is going to need a mature father in their life. Act the part as a favor to Lavender, and your parents and siblings, me, and yourself."

Harry walked away to talk to Seamus and Dean, Lavender taking his place beside Ron.

"Wasn't it beautiful?" Lavender said, beaming at her husband. "You and your mother did such a wonderful job. I can never thank you enough for making this special, Ron."

Ron wrenched his thoughts away from Hermione and smiled at Lavender. "Anything for you, Lav."

* * *

><p>Hermione took her engagement ring off whenever she went to sleep, and one night when Draco couldn't follow her example, he rolled the ring around in his hand absently. In roughly a year, he would be married, the way Potter was, the way Weasley one, three, four, five, six, and seven were. The thought of being responsible for Hermione and any children they would have scared him witless.<p>

"What's wrong?"

Draco looked down at Hermione and kissed her temple. "Nothing's wrong, love. Go back to sleep." _How could she have known something was wrong…? I wonder if Granger can read minds._

"I don't believe you, but I do want to go back to sleep, so tell me in the morning," Hermione said, nestling closer to Draco, who chuckled quietly and ran his fingers through her hair.

Draco set Hermione's ring down on the nightstand by their bed and sighed. He was excited about the wedding, but he figured Blaise was much more so. In fact, Blaise had been ecstatic at the prospect of organizing a stag party for Draco and had started listing absurd things they needed to do at once. Even Harry had made a few suggestions as to what would be "interesting."

_Am I really ready for this?_ Draco asked himself. Hermione moved her arm so her hand was resting about Draco's heart, and Draco answered his own question. He was more than ready.

The following morning Draco made to get out of bed right when he woke up, but Hermione wouldn't let him. She had her head on his chest, and one of her legs was draped across Draco's own. He grudgingly – not really, he couldn't say he minded the arrangement – resigned himself to his fate.

"Mm, good morning," Hermione said, kissing Draco's cheek.

Someone knocked on the door, and Hermione felt a brief flash of panic. Were more Death Eaters going to disrupt their peace? Was Umbridge still looking for her?

"Who could that be?" Draco wondered, standing up. He grimaced. "You don't think it's Astoria, do you?"

Right. Astoria. It was possible that she was the one at the door. Hermione grabbed her wand and quietly crept outside anyway, just to be safe.

It turned out to be Astoria. Draco pleaded with Hermione to not let her in, so they went back to the bedroom and closed the door.

"What's she doing here?" Draco asked.

Hermione shushed him and covered his mouth with her hand. "Shh, she might hear you," she whispered. She hid the fact that she was slightly intimidated by Astoria very well, but deep down she truly was. Astoria was beautiful and successful and most of all, a pureblood – everything Draco should have wanted in a future wife, everything Hermione wasn't.

Draco distracted Hermione from her own self by lightly nipping the finger that was mainly covering his mouth. He grinned at her and her shocked expression. "Never tell a Malfoy to shush, love," he said, kissing her.

"I think she's gone," Hermione announced after she and Draco had snogged for a good ten minutes.

"What's your point?"

"I just thought I'd let you know," Hermione replied, letting Draco take control again.

Draco smirked. "Be quiet, Granger, and stop talking about things – and people – I don't care about," he said, moving to Hermione's neck.

"You get to tell me to be quiet but I don't get to shush you?"

"You can shush me whenever you want, but first say that you don't want me to stop talking right now."

Hermione scowled at him, and Draco decided that he had won that particular argument.

* * *

><p>AN: To make things clear...Narcissa was under the Imperius and that is the only reason she allowed the Death Eaters and Umbridge to use Malfoy Manor as head quarters for that...time...She'll come back later on. Thanks for the suggestions again, everyone! They were great :) Also, Hermione wasn't raped, because I would hate that, you guys would hate that, and it just isn't right to have a Death Eater, who is a purist, rape a Muggle-born since they hate them. That's my logic.

Also, Umbridge got raped by centaurs. That is all.

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	24. Chapter Twenty Four

January 7th, 2012

A/N: This is chapter twenty four, oh my God. This story has made it so freaking far. I've never seen something through this long. I feel accomplished :D How would you guys like a Harmony fan fiction sometime? After I've finished this, of course, and gotten at least started on the sequel. Like, I'll write the sequel beforehand and then I can post chapters even while working on a different piece. Sound good? Let me know what you think (:

Thanks to Cat for being the best beta ever!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter Twenty Four

Narcissa managed to leave her hearing with the Ministry representatives without a sentence to Azkaban. They believed her when she told them she was put under the Imperius Curse – they gave her the benefit of the doubt since she helped bring Voldemort down for good in an indirect way. Narcissa was merely put under house arrest for a month, but mainly so Death Eaters wouldn't seize control of the Manor again.

As she was preparing to apparate back home, Narcissa spotted her son coming down the hall, conversing with Harry Potter. She waited until Draco saw her and greeted her to say anything.

"Hello, Mother," Draco said, figuring out why Narcissa was at the Ministry on his own. "How did your hearing go?"

"Hello, Draco. Hello, Mr. Potter," Narcissa replied. "The hearing went well. They understood my situation and chose to not sentence me to a stay in prison. Mr. Potter, I believe I can thank you for my credibility now."

Harry shook his head and smiled. "Mrs. Malfoy, I had nothing to do with it. It was all you."

Narcissa smiled back at Harry and hugged Draco. "Do come visit me soon, darling, and bring Miss Granger with you. I should really start getting to know my future daughter-in-law better."

"I'll try my best, Mother. Stay safe. If you need anything…let me know."

The Lady Malfoy assured her son that she would take him up on his offer if it was necessary, and twisted into the air with a _crack_.

Draco resumed his conversation with Harry. "Weasley took it pretty badly, then?"

"He had the gall to call you an arse when you got Hermione back on her feet after he cheated on her," Harry said, clearly still unhappy with Ron's poor choices. "He even said Hermione wasn't really a part of their family."

"But Mrs. Weasley thinks of Hermione as a daughter," Draco reminded Harry.

"Ron said Hermione _technically_ wasn't part of the family."

"And you said?" Draco asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, saying Hermione isn't a part of the Weasley family is like saying I'm not, and I told Ron as much. Other than that the wedding was nice. He tolerates Lavender better now. I'd even say he's starting to truly care for her," Harry admitted. He talked to Draco much more, now that he was engaged to Hermione. Harry couldn't exactly talk to Ron about himself, and he didn't want to burden Hermione, as she had been his rock for ten years. Besides, Draco was a good listener and he offered unbiased opinions.

Draco shrugged. "It took him long enough. As poorly as I think of Brown, she deserves to be married to someone who loves her. Thanks for letting me know about the updates on Warrant and Umbridge. See you around, Potter." They parted ways, and Draco flooed back to his flat.

Hermione was waiting for him in the sitting room, looking extremely agitated.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Draco asked, shedding his robes and sending them to their room. "Didn't you have a pleasant day back at work? You were practically begging me to start working again."

"I'm just so tired of everyone treating me like a piece of glass!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's been a week since I came home and nothing has gone back to normal yet. Even you are being abnormally considerate! You actually asked me if I minded what television channel you watched while I read on the sofa the other day! This has to stop, Draco."

"Pardon me for worrying about your well-being!" Draco burst out. Being so unsure about what Hermione wanted had taken its toll on him. "I don't see what your problem is, the only reason we're acting differently is because we care!"

To Draco's surprise, Hermione smiled, ever so slightly. "That's more like it."

Draco glared at her. "Don't think I don't see what you did there, Granger." He sighed and sat down next to Hermione, drawing her to him. "Much as I hate to say it, you are right. It'd be better if everything went back to normal. We can't undo what happened, but we can get over it and move on."

"Excuse me, but I've already gotten over it and moved on. You lot are the ones taking such a long time," Hermione said matter-of-factly. Draco only chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

* * *

><p>Crookshanks had gone absolutely mad when Hermione was gone. He adored his mistress and when he realized that her absence was not natural, he went ballistic. Draco had a hard time keeping Crookshanks calm, and could barely get the creature to eat, much less sleep.<p>

Now that Hermione was back at the flat, Crookshanks never let her out of his sight, unless she was in the shower, dressing, or at work. Other than that, he followed Hermione everywhere.

Hermione didn't mind, but Draco did. Crookshanks insisted on sleeping in their room instead of the sitting room, where he was supposed to be at night. He would curl up on Hermione's feet, and Draco avoided doing anything the least bit risqué with Hermione while her pet was present. Draco had a feeling that Crookshanks would watch and disapprove, and eventually protest. He certainly wouldn't leave the room, the way a normal cat might.

On September twenty second, Draco lost it.

"Hermione, is there any way you can get that damn cat of yours to leave us alone for more than a few minutes?"

"What do you mean? Crookie isn't doing anything wrong," Hermione said, cradling 'Crookie' in her arms. "He stays out of the way and he keeps quiet. He just wants to make sure I'm alright."

"He hasn't done anything, exactly, but neither have we, which is my point. With your cat lingering around all the time, I can hardly touch you, lest he jump on me and start clawing out my eyes."

Hermione laughed and gently scratched Crookshanks's head. "Crookshanks wouldn't do that. He likes you. But if it bothers you that much, I'll see what I can do about it, okay?"

Draco knew that Hermione was hopeless when it came to seeing how much Crookshanks hated any human being who dared get close to Hermione romantically. Crookshanks was amicable with Harry, Fred, George, Percy, Ginny, and the rest of the crew, but not Draco or Ron, and Hermione wouldn't admit to herself how vile her beloved half-kneazle would become around those two.

Hermione did keep her word, though, and that night Crookshanks stayed in the sitting room as if it had been what he was intending to do all along.

* * *

><p>Draco consented to getting his hair cut towards the end of the month. Hermione accidentally told him about how she once cut Harry's hair during the horcrux hunt, and Draco asked her to do the same for him.<p>

"Honestly, you're just asking to be given a reason to hate me," Hermione said, rifling through her sewing kit for a pair of scissors. "Harry can tell you how horrible it turned out to be."

"Potter's hair is messed up anyways. The fact that you cut his hair once is hardly an excuse for that. Now hurry up, my mother's going to be here in twenty minutes."

"If you insist…" Hermione bit her lip and tried her best to make Draco's hair look the same way it had before, only shorter. She was satisfied with her progress and the result, but she wasn't certain Draco would be too.

"I was starting to think about sending an owl to a professional, with the way you were going on. It looks fine, Hermione," Draco said, cleaning up the floor with a wave of his wand.

"Liar," Hermione muttered, but then Narcissa stepped out of the fireplace and she could say no more on the matter.

"Darlings, hello, how are you?" Narcissa greeted them. Draco embraced his mother and Hermione shook the older witch's hand, murmuring an answer as she did so. She wasn't entirely at ease around Narcissa, but she was no longer on edge whenever they were in the same room either.

Draco and Narcissa exchanged a look, and a moment later Draco left Hermione with his mother while he fetched tea for the three of them.

"Hermione, I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for anything that happened to you while you were in Malfoy Manor," Narcissa said. "I am aware that you have assured me time and time again that I could have done nothing, but I disagree. I think I could have done something. I am as much in the wrong as those Death Eaters who took and kept you there, and I apologize."

Was this why Narcissa was there in the flat? Draco didn't specify on why the lady Malfoy was paying them a visit, and as far as Hermione knew the woman hadn't made a social call yet since they got engaged. Hermione did appreciate Narcissa reaching out, though, and expressed that by not arguing with her, because Merlin knows Malfoys hated to be argued with.

"I hardly think it was necessary, but I accept your apology. Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione replied.

"I've started to address you by your given name, Hermione, so I expect you to do the same for me if you are not comfortable calling me Mother."

"Well, then, thank you, Narcissa," Hermione amended, mustering a smile despite how awkward she felt.

"I should take my leave now. I have business to attend to elsewhere. Thank you for inviting me over, Draco, and thank you, Hermione, for talking to me while my son pretended to be busy in the kitchen for the first time in his life. Goodbye." Narcissa disapparated, leaving a dumbstruck Hermione and a gaping Draco behind.

"That was…interesting," Hermione said faintly. Draco shook his head in disbelief.

"Merlin, I'm twenty one and she still finds ways to make me feel like I'm eleven," he said wonderingly.

"I think that's the thing about mothers, Draco: they never stop coming up with ways to embarrass their children."

"Perhaps my opinions will change when I have children I can humiliate."

Hermione chuckled and allowed Draco to pull her onto his lap once he had sat down next to her. "You will do no such thing," she said, resting her head against her fiancé's shoulder.

"Won't I?"

"You won't," Hermione finished, in a tone that suggested Draco would not escape easily should he choose to disobey that command.

Later, as they lay in bed in a tangle of limbs, Draco kissed Hermione's nose and teasingly called her his insufferable know-it-all. She responded by kissing his jaw and calling him her twitchy little ferret.

* * *

><p>"Ron, you have to go to their wedding," Harry said, two months after Hermione's twenty second birthday had occurred. "Hermione's been a best friend to us both for years!"<p>

"Harry, I've said this before. If they didn't bother coming to my wedding, why should I bother going to theirs?" Ron asked, arching an eyebrow. "Give me one good reason."

"Okay: you cheated on her and that's one of the reasons she's getting married to someone else," Harry replied readily. He had expected that Ron would resist the idea of attending Hermione and Draco's wedding. "If you'd like another one, I have plenty more."

"I might as well hear the rest," Ron said, but he sounded wary to Harry and George, who had stopped walking outside of his younger brother's old bedroom at the Burrow when he caught a snippet of the conversation.

"Secondly, Lavender wants to go," Harry continued. "And right now she is hormonal and ready with her wand. Thirdly, Hermione really wants to be friends again. I know you've gone to lunch what, once, and that you've talked on occasion, but that's more like you're putting an effort into staying acquaintances rather than friends. It would mean the world to her if you came."

"So I take it you've already decided you're going?"

"Well, yes, I mean, I sort of have to." Harry hesitated, but he'd have to tell Ron sooner or later. "Draco asked me to be one of his groomsmen and I accepted."

"You WHAT?"

"Ron, I don't need this right now. It isn't that big of a deal. _You_ need to get over this, because I thought you had a long time ago, and it appears I was wrong. Mate, we talked about this at your wedding. Put it behind you." Harry turned and exited the room, giving George a knowing look on his way out.

George hovered in the hallway. He loved Hermione as a sister and disliked what Ron was doing to her, what Ron did to her, but it wasn't his place to intervene when Harry was taking care of it. Also, bringing it up again would only upset Ron more.

Well, George supposed he had to go in, if that was the case.

"How are you on this fine day, Ronniekins?" George asked, smiling serenely.

"I'm alright," Ron said slowly, most likely fearing a prank or something else that could potentially be harmful. "Why aren't you at the shop?"

"We have to take a holiday sometimes, don't we? You know Fred and me – we try not to divulge in too much chaos."

Ron snorted and sorted through a box of items Molly had given him. He held up the telescope that had given Hermione a black eye in the summer before their sixth year and set it aside. That early on, George couldn't tell if the telescope was going into Ron's 'keep' pile or not.

"As I was passing by – by mere coincidence, mind you -," Ron snorted again, "I overheard you and dear Wonder Boy discussing Hermione's wedding. What's your problem, then? Why don't you want to go?"

"You know who she's marrying! You can't say you approve, too. You hated Malfoy, and I reckon you still do," Ron said.

"Ah, but that's the thing, Ronnie my boy: I don't hate Malfoy. In fact, I told him, and Fred did too, that I'd be delighted to be one of his groomsmen."

Ron leapt to his feet. "Not you and Fred as well! Harry's already in Malfoy's stinking web of lies, but you two? What happened to hating Malfoy as much as we all hate Umbridge? They're about the same, if you think about it, both hating Muggle-borns and half-bloods as they do. Hermione would never be happy, married to a prejudiced pureblood like that!"

George stared at his brother. "Ron, you seem to have forgotten that, had you not cheated on her, Hermione most likely would have ended up married to you, and you, in your own way, are a prejudiced pureblood. A blood traitor in the eyes of other purebloods, certainly, but still a prejudiced pureblood," he said.

"I'm nothing like Malfoy!" Ron exclaimed.

"Did I say you were like him at all?" George asked, placing a hand on Ron's shoulder and forcing him to sit down. "No, I did not. I simply said that you are, in your own way, a prejudiced pureblood, and you can't disagree with that. It's fact."

No, Ron couldn't disagree with what George said. Prankster he might be, the man was still smart and alarmingly perceptive. George had suspicions about Ron he hadn't even shared with his twin, though he knew Fred thought only the same lines as him.

"I suppose I could go," Ron mumbled.

"Brilliant, my work here is done, see you on Sunday, little brother!" George said, walking away with a smug expression and an extra spring in his step.

Phase one was complete.

* * *

><p>AN: Goodness gracious, what on earth are those conniving, mischievous and lovable twins up to now? Only time will tell :) I have decided that Lavender's firstborn will be a girl, because that is what most of you opted for - I don't believe I got a single vote for a boy.

Also, the only pair resulting from the offspring of Lavender and Ron and Hermione and Draco will be Scorpius and Rose. They won't have an easy time getting about to a romantic relationship, of course, but they will get there, and nowhere else. I deter from pairing any more Malfoy children with a Potter or Weasley.

I also have the birthdays and such for the Granger-Malfoy children jotted down in a notebook. Here are the names with Hogwarts houses, in no particular order:

Katherine Nymphadora Malfoy - Gryffindor

Lila Jean Malfoy - Ravenclaw

Scorpius Remus Malfoy - Gryffindor

If you want, I'll share the names and houses of Lavender and Ron's children in the next chapter. Sorry this author's note went on for so long.

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	25. Chapter Twenty Five

January 11th, 2012

A/N: As some of you may know, I paired both James II and Fred II with an OC in The Legacy Continues. I've been thinking about pairing one of them with Lila. Even if Rose and Scorpius marry, it wouldn't really be incest, so yeah. There's also the matter of Blaise and Gina's children, should they have any, and I'll take that into account as well. I don't know how much more of this story there is, but there isn't much, and there won't be an epilogue, so thank you all for sticking with me for this long (: I hope you enjoy the sequel and any other pieces of work I come up with.

I've gotten some questions as to how Cat and George's meeting went, so let me know in a review if you'd like a one-shot of that, or another spin-off of this story based on more characters, like Cassie or Gina. I've also received some exclamations about no Malfoy child being in Slytherin. I've already planned all their personalities, and I did want Scorpius to be the first Malfoy to ever be in Gryffindor, so I might put one more kid in there – possibly the eldest – so he can be in Slytherin. Okay?

Props to you who get the slight Hunger Games reference in this chapter.

Thanks to Cat (kitcat234) for beta reading this for me!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter Twenty Five

The silver, luminescent Jack Russell Terrier entered the room where the sleeping couple lay, and spoke in Ron Weasley's voice.

"Lav's water broke. Took her to St. Mungo's. Get there as soon as you can."

Hermione had been expecting that kind of message for a while – Lavender's due date had been March 23rd and it was now two weeks past that day – so she hurriedly woke Draco and went into the bathroom to get ready.

Draco, though getting out of bed the slowest, managed to reach the fireplace before Hermione. To his surprise, Cassie, who always knew the password to gain access to the floo, started talking.

"Healer Lawson suddenly fainted, and we can't figure out why for the life of us, but there is a Lavender Weasley here about to give birth and we desperately need your help. Please hurry!" was all she said before disappearing again. Well, of course they needed Draco's help; it was four o' clock in the bloody morning!

"Hermione, they need me at the hospital," Draco called. "I'll meet you there, alright?"

"Okay, but you best hurry!"

"Yes, I'd figured that much out for myself, thank you." Draco stepped into the fireplace and was gone, Hermione quickly following his example.

The first thing that could be heard was Lavender screaming at the top of her lungs. Parvati was repeating the same three words over and over again ("Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God") and Ron was wearing down the floor, he was pacing so much.

"What's happened so far?" Hermione asked as Draco rushed into the delivery room, his healer robes streaming behind him.

"What-Why does he get to go in?" Ron demanded. "I'm her husband and they won't let me in!"

"He's a healer, Ron. He's going to make things okay," Hermione said soothingly. "They have a new protocol that won't allow anyone that's not a certified healer in the room while performing surgeries or delivering children."

Ron didn't stop walking up and down the hallway, but he ceased snapping at anyone who dared approach him.

It took ten hours. Ten hours of complete agony. Ron was ready to make the door explode after one hour passed, but Hermione convinced him not to. Arthur and Bill kept close to Ron, as they could reassure him in ways the others could not. Molly held Parvati's hair back as the witch vomited into a garbage bin. In fact, all of the Weasleys save Fred and George could be accounted for.

_Well, bugger,_ Hermione thought, going in search of the missing twins during the third hour. A missing Fred and George meant one thing only: bad news.

She found them laughing about something they had accomplished, and confronted them at once.

"What's got you two in such a good mood when your sister-in-law is giving birth to your brother's firstborn?"

George stopped cold and elbowed Fred in the ribs when he kept chuckling. "Hermione! Why aren't you with the others?"

"I could ask both of you the exact same thing," Hermione said. "I repeat, what's got you in such a good mood?"

"Just a prank we pulled today is all. It went really well," Fred answered smoothly.

Hermione simply stared at him.

"Merlin, Hermione, I thought you'd grown out of your prefect glare," George said. "We were laughing about a prank, honest. Now stop with that look. You remind me of Mum and Gin."

"What did you do now?" Hermione asked.

Fred and George exchanged a look; Fred shrugged, and George launched into an explanation. "We're working on a project to get Ronniekins to be more accepting about your relationship with Malfoy. First step was to get him to agree to attend your wedding. Second step was getting him to be grateful to Draco for whatever reason. Lavender having her baby was actually what inspired phase two."

"Oh heavens, do I want to know?"

"Probably not, but we'll tell you anyways," Fred said. "Healer Lawson really-"

"Isn't-"

"Ill!"

"You can thank-"

"Our Fainting Fancies-"

"For that one-"

"So you're welcome-"

"Granger!"

Hermione understood that the twins were trying to help, so she didn't nag on them about causing a co-worker of Draco's to faint. She was touched they were making such an effort, though, so as she was departing she lightly said, "Just don't let me 'ear of that kind of thing again, alright boys?"

George grinned. "I knew there was a reason we liked Granger."

Teddy jumped into Hermione's arms the minute he saw her after waking up. She kissed his cheek and sat down on a chair, the toddler making himself comfortable on her lap.

"Grandma told me that Auntie Lav is going to have a baby!"

Hermione smiled and nodded. "That she is, Teddy."

"Is the baby going to be as small as Vicky?"

"Smaller," Hermione said, laughing at how wide Teddy's eyes got.

"But that's so small!" he exclaimed in an awed whisper.

"You were the small once, too," Hermione informed him. Teddy's jaw dropped and up until the baby was delivered, he peppered Hermione with questions of all kind. What were his parents like? Who was Voldemort? (She didn't answer that one.) How did Auntie Lav get pregnant? (She didn't answer that one either.) Why was the sky blue? Why was Hogwarts named 'Hogwarts?' How did centaurs become half-horse? Could he become half-horse too? And so on.

It was a good thing Teddy was so curious, though, because his questions kept Hermione from fretting over Lavender, who would be fine, along with her child. Draco was taking care of her, after all. There was nothing to worry about.

Hermione couldn't thoroughly convince herself of that, so she couldn't very well try to convince Ron either. For the most part, everyone sat in a silence that was broken only by Teddy.

Ron was called into the room at last. Draco slipped past him on his way in and received a nod of thanks. He was unable to respond as Ron hurried to Lavender's side.

"The oddest thing just happened," Draco remarked.

"Hm?" Hermione said, rubbing Teddy's back as the boy slept, his cheek resting on her shoulder.

"I think Weasley just looked grateful as he saw me."

Remembering what Fred and George told her, Hermione struggled to keep the smile off of her face. "You did do him a big favor."

"I suppose," Draco said doubtfully. "We're allowed to go visit in about ten minutes. I'll go let the others know."

Lavender named her daughter Destiny. She claimed that it had been her destiny to get pregnant and marry Ron so soon. If anyone had skepticisms about the name choice they didn't mention them. To no one's surprise, Parvati was dubbed the godmother of the child. What surprised them all – including Ron – was that Lavender wanted to give Destiny two godmothers.

"Hermione, would you be her other godmother? Please?"

"Yes, but are you sure?" Hermione asked, hardly aware of Ron's eyes on her. "I'm flattered and everything, but are you quite sure, Lavender?"

"I wouldn't have asked you otherwise. Thank you. You've done so much to help me in the past few months, and I really need to start paying you back," Lavender said as Ron cradled Destiny close.

"There's no need-"

Lavender cut Hermione off. "There is every need. This isn't a battle that you're going to win, Hermione."

Hermione smiled begrudgingly. "If that's the case, let me hold my goddaughter, Ronald."

* * *

><p>Hermione clearly remembered the day of Harry and Ginny's wedding. She had given Harry some Sleekeazy's and for the first time ever, his hair lay flat. When he got to the altar, the bridesmaids and groomsmen could clearly hear Ginny whisper "What's wrong with your hair?" to Harry before returning it to its usual unkempt state.<p>

Now, the day before Hermione's wedding, Ginny wrestled with the bride's hair.

"If it worked on Harry, it can certainly work on you," she muttered, picking up a bottle of Sleekeazy's potion from the dressing table Hermione was sitting in front of.

"Ginny, accept the inevitable; my hair is untamable. Draco doesn't care, and neither do I, so I don't see why you should," Hermione said calmly.

"Oh come off it, Hermione. It really shouldn't be this hard…" Ginny fussed for thirty minutes, and simply gave up. "What is it with your hair? I thought it had gotten less bushy over so many years!"

"Let me try," Gina said, stepping forward and getting Hermione's hair to cooperate in a matter of seconds.

"Merlin's pants," Ginny muttered. "How ever did you manage that?"

"My cousin runs a beauty salon and whenever she watched me growing up she attempted to teach me all about hair and make-up. Sadly, some of those lessons did register in my brain, but they do come in handy from time to time, like now," Gina replied. "Hermione, how does this look for tomorrow?"

"It looks lovely, thank you Gina." Hermione did appreciate Gina's effort, but she wanted to get out from under her friends' grasps as soon as possible. They were making a bigger fuss than was called for, and she just wanted to relax before she got married.

"Why don't you go see how Draco's doing?" Gina suggested, reading Hermione's expression correctly. Hermione smiled at her maid of honor.

"Can you handle things here?"

"Of course, now go!"

Hermione smiled at Ginny, Gina, Cat, and Luna and disapparated.

The flat she shared with Draco was mostly empty – the majority of their things were packed up in boxes. As soon as they got back from their honeymoon, they would move into a house they bought in Ottery St. Catchpole, which was a mainly Muggle neighborhood close to the Burrow. It had taken some serious consideration, but neither Draco nor Hermione wanted to live at Malfoy Manor, and even Draco liked spending time at the Weasley household.

_I'm getting married tomorrow_, Hermione thought happily. She grinned to herself and picked up a stack of her books laying about the living room. One that she knew for sure she finished had a bookmark sticking out of it.

Setting the other novels down, Hermione opened the book up and saw a picture of her and Draco at their engagement party. _Draco must be reading this_.

It was nice, how they had the same interests, because then Draco didn't care if Hermione left the odd book about. He was also fairly tidy, and learned early on not to leave his dirty clothes anywhere but the hamper.

"Draco?" Hermione called, abandoning the books on the couch. _Maybe he's out with Blaise._

"Hermione? What are you doing here? I thought you were going over some last details with the girls," Draco said, stepping out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist.

"I was, but I managed to escape," Hermione said, kissing her soon-to-be-husband on the cheek.

"So you were having fun, then?"

"Obviously not."

"What a shame," Draco said, and, like Hermione, not sounding regretful whatsoever. "Well, I say we should take advantage of the fact that I'm not wearing any clothes."

Hermione laughed and took the initiative, leading Draco into their old bedroom, which was more or less the same. "For old times' sake, hm?"

"Exactly."

* * *

><p>Almost everyone who had attended Hogwarts while Hermione and Draco were at school showed up to their wedding, along with their old professors. Many Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws attended the ceremony, but the majority of the party was made up out of Gryffindors. Very few Slytherins cared to make an appearance – half of those who did only went to get free publicity, as Hermione and Draco's wedding would be covered in the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly. But Draco didn't mind. He figured that the fewer of his housemates went the better.<p>

"Pansy Parkinson's here," Harry told Draco, checking off some list of things Hermione had most likely ordered him to take care of. "She apparently came to wish you well, and she wants you to meet her new boyfriend. Some Irish bloke she met while working."

"As long as she isn't here to object my marriage, I'm perfectly fine with her being here," Draco said. "I didn't think she would come, though. Or any Slytherins other than Blaise. I certainly didn't send out those particular invitations."

"I'm almost positive your mother did," said Harry absently. "I've got to go get Teddy in his suit now. Wish me luck."

"Good luck Potter. You'll need it. That kid's a demon."

"Just wait until you have your own children," Harry said over his shoulder as he walked away, whistling nonchalantly.

Draco hardly paid attention to his own wedding ceremony. He was more focused on Hermione, who looked more different than he'd ever seen her.

For one, her hair was done up in an elegant French twist, and for possibly the second time ever, it wasn't frizzy at all. Her dress was simple but beautiful – just like her and the otter pendant she wore at her neck.

Somehow, Draco was able to remember his vows and performed his part well when it was required of him. Whenever he caught Hermione's eye, the two couldn't help but smile at each other.

After what seemed like an excruciatingly long time, Draco and Hermione were married. The latter pounced on the former the moment the Ministry official said "You may kiss the bride," earning laughter from the crowd. Hermione turned around and beamed at Harry, then her bridesmaids. While she was distracted, Draco caught her hand in his and apparated to the ballroom at Malfoy Manor, where their reception would take place. It had taken some convincing Hermione on Draco's part, but they eventually agreed that the ceremony would be at the Burrow and the reception at Malfoy Manor. It was only fair.

Draco and Hermione were alone, and it would remain that way for mere seconds. Draco kissed his wife soundly on the mouth and wrapped her up in a tight hug.

"I love you," Hermione said as guests started filling the ballroom.

"I love you too, Granger."

"Shouldn't you call me Malfoy now?" Hermione asked teasingly with a smile on her face.

"Malfoy…no, that's just odd. Old habits are hard to break, love, as you very well know," Draco said, kissing Hermione's forehead.

"Mind if I steal the bride?"

Draco was absolutely ready to get protective of Hermione, but it turned out the person asking to steal her was Harry. "Alright, but not for too long."

"Come on mate, you have the rest of your lives to be together, whereas I'll likely never see her again without you there breathing down our necks," Harry said, chuckling. Hermione laughed, and Draco left to find Ginny, whom he had gotten surprisingly close to ever since that one Christmas at the Burrow.

"How does it feel to be married?" Harry asked.

"Oh, but you know all about it," Hermione replied, grinning at her best friend. "I'm quite amazed that you haven't gotten Ginny pregnant yet."

Harry blushed. "Blimey, Hermione, do you really have to bring up things like that?"

"Well, yes, since you react that way," Hermione said, causing Harry to roll his eyes.

"May I cut in?"

Hermione hadn't heard that voice in years. She had invited Viktor, of course, because he was once a close friend and it was the right thing to do, but she hadn't thought he would fly out from Bulgaria for anything other than a Quidditch match.

"Viktor Krum," Harry exclaimed. "How are you doing?"

"Very vell, Harry, thank you. What about you and Hermioninny? I personally thought you were vith that Veasley girl," said Viktor.

"I am!" Harry said at once. "We got married last year, actually. We sent you an invitation. Hermione here got married to Draco Malfoy today."

Viktor obviously didn't think much of Draco, but he didn't say anything other than, "May I have this dance, Hermioninny?"

"Of course."

Harry kissed Hermione on the cheek and wandered away, though he did occasionally glance in Hermione and Viktor's direction to make sure the former was doing alright.

Hermione was ecstatic to see Viktor again. They had both gotten out of the habit of sending letters, so it was nice to catch up. She found out that Viktor had a girlfriend back in Bulgaria he had considered bringing to the wedding, but the girl didn't speak English well, and that that was why he showed up without a date. Also, by the end of the dance, Hermione had gotten Viktor to reconsider his evaluation of Draco.

Just as she made to sit down after being on her feet for so _bloody long_, Hermione was caught by the waist.

"Draco…"

"Yes?"

Hermione smiled, shook her head, and leaned into her husband. "I love you."

"How many times are you going to say that today?" Draco teased.

"I assure you I'll say it at least three more times before tomorrow."

"Bring it on, Granger. For the past month I've prepared myself for how much of a sap my wife would be."

"In my opinion, my husband is a bigger sap than your wife will ever be."

"Believe whatever you like, 'Mione."

* * *

><p>AN: Two, three more chapters left? That's my estimation. Thanks for the lovely support and suggestions you've all given me, and I'll make sure to Tweet whenever I start the sequel for those of you who don't have me on author alert, or I'll just add an author's note as a chapter on here.

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	26. Chapter Twenty Six

January 16th, 2012

A/N: I'm really sorry, guys. I had this chapter saved on my flash drive that for some reason won't work…I would have uploaded this sooner had it worked, so sorry. I don't know if I've gotten the years quite right for every child, but I did the best I can, and if one of you knows the actual years they're all supposed to be born, I would really appreciate it if you told me, as I don't fully trust Harry Potter Wiki.

Thanks as always to Cat for beta reading this!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter Twenty Six

Lavender didn't know what to do. The Ministry was hosting a gala of some sort for all of their Aurors, and as Ron's wife she was obligated to go. However, Lavender didn't want to leave her baby girl with an ordinary babysitter, and Ron's parents were attending the gala out of support for their son. Bill and Fleur were in France, Fred and George were busy at their shop, she didn't know Percy extraordinarily well, Charlie was in Romania, and Harry and Ginny would be at the Ministry too. That left Hermione and Draco.

Now, Lavender didn't mind it if those two watched Destiny for the night, but she knew Ron would object. He did.

"I will not leave my daughter with a former Death Eater!"

Lavender could count the amount of times that she had talked back to Ron on one hand. This was one of those times. "A former Death Eater who happens to be one of the most well-respected wizards of his time! I'd rather we had Draco watch her than leave her by herself, Ron! Unless that's what you'd like to do!"

Ron grumbled, but he couldn't disagree with Lavender, and Destiny ended up at the Malfoy household.

"There's my goddaughter," Hermione cooed, taking Destiny from her mother. She kissed the infant on the cheek and looked at Lavender and Ron. "How long do you two expect you'll be?"

"Around three hours. I hope that's not too long," Lavender said apologetically. She went out of her way to be as nice to Hermione as possible – Merlin knew it was the least she could do after stealing the witch's boyfriend way back then.

"Of course it's not too long. Destiny and I love spending time together, don't we sweetie?" Destiny giggled and clapped her hands together, something she had recently learned how to do.

Lavender had asked Hermione to babysit Destiny before, but even though it had only happened a couple of times, Lavender had a sneaking suspicion that her own daughter liked Hermione more. With a heavy heart, she kissed Destiny goodbye, not noticing the way Ron was looking at Hermione.

Draco walked into the sitting room and smiled when Destiny reached for him as soon as he got close enough. As much as he disliked Ron and Lavender, he undeniably adored Hermione's godchild.

Hermione scowled at her husband when he took Destiny from her. Draco laughed and gave her that trademark smirk, which vanished once Ron spoke.

It was quietly and probably meant for Lavender's ears only, but Ron had never gotten the hang of whispering. "I don't know how I feel about this, Lav. I would actually prefer it if Fred or George took over."

Hermione opened her mouth to defend Draco, but Lavender beat her to it. "I trust him with Des, Ron, and I think you should too. Now get moving, or else we'll be late." She turned to Hermione and Draco. "Thank you so much for doing this."

With Destiny back in her hold, Hermione said, "Any time." Meanwhile, Draco coolly met Ron's gaze, and held it until the redhead disapparated.

"Honestly, how much larger could that elephant have gotten?"

Draco blatantly stared at Hermione. "What? What elephant?" he asked.

"It's-Well, it's a term Muggles use to describe an uncomfortable atmosphere; 'the elephant in the room.' Never mind, it's silly," Hermione said as Draco's expression grew more confused. "Let's get Destiny settled in, shall we?"

* * *

><p>Draco couldn't get the sound of Destiny crying out of his head. As cute as the child was, she had her mother's lungs, and that wasn't a good trait to inherit.<p>

Hermione tried her best to get Destiny to stop crying, but nothing worked. She transformed into her Animagus form, only to get a clump of fur ripped from her body. Hermione wasn't sure how that would affect her as a human, but at that moment she was experiencing too much pain to care.

Draco pulled Destiny away immediately after she ripped off Hermione's fur. Hermione morphed back to her normal self, wincing.

"I'm going to make sure there's no permanent damage," she said, touching her back as if to check that no skin was missing.

"Do you want me to look you over?"

Even while wounded Hermione had the strength to joke, "Draco Malfoy, there is a four month old baby present!"

"I meant that in the most professional way," Draco sniffed.

"Yes, yes, I know," Hermione said, kissing him on the cheek. "I'm only playing with you. I'll be back in a moment. Can you handle looking after Destiny?"

"Are you insinuating that I'm not fit to care for a child?"

"I won't answer that." Hermione made way for their bedroom, leaving Draco with Destiny, who hadn't stopped wailing.

In a desperate attempt to at least entertain the girl until Hermione got back, Draco shifted into his Animagus form. When Hermione reentered the sitting room, she found Destiny happily petting an arctic fox.

"Why is it that she's not pulling _your_ fur out?" Hermione wondered, not expecting Draco to answer. She scooped Destiny up from off of the floor and set her down in the play pen her parents had brought over.

"Are you alright?" the non-fox Draco asked Hermione, wrapping an arm around her as they sat down on the couch near the play pen.

"I'm fine, it just hurt a lot," Hermione said, snuggling into Draco's side. "Remind me to never morph when around children."

"Teddy hasn't ever done that, though."

"Well, Teddy's Teddy. He's much older than Destiny. It's different with him. Destiny's inherited her mother's habit of clinging to people."

Draco snorted and twirled locks of Hermione's hair around his fingers, his forehead resting on her head. He almost fell over when Hermione shot to her feet.

"I almost forgot! I need to run to the grocery store and get some diapers for Destiny before she gets fussy. I can't believe they didn't think to bring a diaper bag for her."

"They probably assumed that we had a store of baby essentials by now," Draco said dryly.

"Please, I'm not even pregnant yet. We're not so desperate to have a child of our own that we'll buy things a baby needs quite yet," Hermione said, kissing Draco and smiling at Destiny before she walked out the door.

It took her all of ten minutes to buy anything Destiny would need for the remaining forty minutes she would be at the Malfoy house. As Hermione headed back to her husband and goddaughter, she was grabbed from behind.

She had loosened up from the war considerably, but ever since that time with the Death Eaters Hermione was suspicious of any person that grabbed her, so long as they weren't Harry or Draco. Right then, Hermione was certain it was neither.

"Whoa, whoa, Granger – well, I suppose it's Malfoy now, but that's beside the point. Don't you think Cat and Ange would get rather angry if you hexed their blokes?"

Hermione froze and twisted around. "Fred! George! You scared me to death! What are you doing here?" she asked, elbowing Fred's ribcage until he let her go. That's what he got for frightening her.

"We're here to keep you occupied while phase three is completed," George said, glancing at his twin, who was swearing in a loud whisper.

"I had almost forgotten about your 'brilliant' plan," Hermione said, sighing. "How long will this take?"

"About forty minutes."

"I don't have that much time! Lavender and Ron are going to pick up Destiny in," Hermione checked her watch, "thirty five minutes, and I need to get these things back there so the poor child's not uncomfortable."

"Destiny will be fine," George assured Hermione, as Fred was still recovering. "Don't worry so much, Hermione. It's all according to the plan."

"Why do I find that to not be the slightest bit reassuring?" Hermione asked somewhat rhetorically.

* * *

><p>Ron apparated into what he thought of as Hermione's kitchen and looked around for the curly haired witch and his daughter. It was dark, so he lit up the tip of his wand and wandered about. He heard Destiny laughing before he saw her.<p>

He found Destiny playing with a fox, of all things. And not a stuffed fox. A stuffed fox Ron would have been fine with. Where was Hermione, and why was she letting her goddaughter occupy her time with a wild animal?

His Auror training kicking in, Ron lowered his wand until it was level with the fox's nose. He slowly levitated it away from Destiny, so as not to upset her, and was positively aghast when the fox was replaced by Draco Malfoy.

"What the-"

"I'm an Animagus, Weasley," Draco said, frowning. "You'd think that once in a while something would make it into that thick head of yours."

"Where's Hermione then?"

"Out shopping for your child. Where's your wife?" Draco retorted, handing Destiny to her father.

"Already at home," Ron replied, smiling at Destiny for a scarce minute before he continued to glare at Draco. "She was tired so we decided I'd pick up Des alone."

"More like you decided," Draco muttered. "Alright then, see you – whenever."

"Shouldn't we wait for Hermione to get back?"

"Unless you need extra diapers and such for your daughter," Draco said.

"Oh, well, no, we don't need any more – my mum has been unloading all sorts of stuff on us since Destiny was born."

The small talk died and the two men, both of whom had loved Hermione, stood carefully regarding the other.

While that was happening, Hermione was convincing George and Fred to let her go back home.

"It's been over forty minutes by now! I think I can go home now, boys!"

"Might I remind you that we're two years older than you?"

"Yes, but you act as though you're twelve," Hermione snapped, wrenching her arm out of Fred's grip and determinedly walking away.

Fred shook his head, but a faint smile was threatening to emerge on his face, hidden by the dark. "Bossy as ever, I see."

"Did you ever expect that to change?" George asked, grinning.

Hermione looked over her shoulder. "It might do you good to learn to lower your voices once in a while!" she called, as she could still hear what the twins were saying.

"It might do you some good to consider the fact that you were meant to hear that, Granger!" George called back.

"Honestly, you're twenty five, George," Fred sniffed in a very good impression of Hermione. "It shocks me to think of how immature you can be."

"Sod off, Gred."

* * *

><p>They had been trying, but it was a complete accident, Hermione getting pregnant on Christmas night. Eggnog led to butterbeer, which led to firewhiskey, and as they say, the rest was history. Hermione didn't know how to tell Draco. He would be ecstatic, but her pregnancy was big news, and she couldn't suddenly announce "We're going to be parents in nine months" at dinner. These were the thoughts running through Hermione's mind as she and Draco got ready to go to Narcissa's winter gala, which had become an annual event and which was on December sixteenth that year. She also didn't want to spring something like that on Draco right before his mother's celebration, so Hermione was at a standstill.<p>

"Honestly, Hermione, what's got your knickers in a twist?" Draco asked, summoning his wife's missing shoe when she straightened up from manually searching under the bed. "You can't be nervous about going to the Manor after all these years."

"I'm not nervous about the gala," Hermione said, slipping her shoe on. "It's…well, I'll tell you later."

Draco stopped at the doorway, not even blinking when Hermione collided into him. "You don't have a life-threatening disease, do you? Or is it a life-threatening mission now?" He kept his tone light-hearted, but he feared that Hermione would suddenly disappear in an attempt to rid the world of all evil.

"I'm fine, love, so don't fret the way Molly does when we don't show up at the Burrow for Sunday dinners _once_," Hermione said, kissing Draco's cheek.

At the gala, Hermione veered away from elf-made wine and champagne and alcohol in general. It was bad for the baby.

Draco didn't know enough about pregnant woman to know the reason for Hermione's aversion to liquor. He figured it was one of those mood swings of hers that caused her to dislike or like something to the extreme in a short amount of time. Narcissa, on the other hand, did know quite a bit about pregnant woman, and questioned Hermione after all of the other guests had gone.

"Narcissa, I don't think this is the right time… What you're asking, I haven't told Draco the answer yet, and I don't want him to learn about it that way," Hermione said, biting her lip.

"Don't worry, Hermione. I gave explicit instructions to my house-elves to send Draco home with the leftovers from tonight. I also gave them individually, so even if he orders one to stop, he'll have to go through twenty nine more."

_She is undoubtedly thorough. Maybe that's not such a bad thing_, Hermione thought. "Alright, yes, I'm pregnant. You guessed correctly."

Narcissa gasped as her hand flew to her mouth. _Why do females in general do that when they're caught off guard?_ Hermione wondered internally.

She suspected Narcissa would have begun sketching an outline of her future grandchild's entire life plan if Draco hadn't come up from behind Hermione then.

"We'd better go, before the elves give us enough food to feed all of Hogwarts," Draco said. He kissed Narcissa on the cheek. "See you soon, Mother."

"You never mean that," Narcissa replied, hugging both Hermione and Draco goodbye. "I suppose 'soon' doesn't mean the same for you that it does for me. Molly Weasley has you around more often and you're not even directly related! Humor your mother, Draco. Come have Sunday brunch with me next week." She halted in her rambling and exchanged a look with Hermione. "That is, unless you're busy."

"Since when has she ever cared if we were busy or not?" Draco whispered in Hermione's ear. Struggling to keep an innocent expression on her face, Hermione shrugged. Draco was still perplexed by Narcissa's strange farewell as he disapparated.

Hermione quickly slipped into their bedroom to change into something more comfortable. In the next nine months, she wouldn't be able to wear clothes nearly as form-fitting as that dress had been.

Five minutes later, Draco found Hermione sitting on the bed with her knees drawn to her chest. He lay down beside her and pulled her down onto him, so that her head was on his stomach.

"I need to tell you something," Hermione said quietly. Draco laced his fingers through hers.

"Okay, what is it?"

"I'm pregnant."

Having Hermione lie down on him had not been a good idea. Draco bolted upright, helping Hermione sit up when she fell face first onto the comforter.

"Silly me, I thought a Malfoy would react in a much more dignified manner. Then again, your mother looked like she was going to cry when I told her."

"You told her before you told me?" Draco exclaimed indignantly. Hermione chuckled and squeezed his hand.

"She pried it out of me. She saw that I was avoiding any kind of alcohol and more or less got on my case about it," Hermione explained.

"How did I not notice that?"

"I wouldn't expect you to know too much about pregnancies, Draco, even if you are a healer. But…you're going to be someone's daddy," Hermione said, smiling. Draco beamed at her, and out of nowhere they were laughing. Well, Draco was laughing. Hermione was crying. At first Draco was concerned, but she assured him they were happy tears. It had taken so long, but they were finally going to be parents.

Neither of them remembered that they were only a few years over twenty. Later, though, they realized Ron and Lavender's story would still outshine theirs by far, and Hermione and Draco were perfectly fine with that.

* * *

><p>AN: Woo! They're having a baby :) I realize that I might have gotten my own time line mixed up with the pregnancies, so I would appreciate it if you all over-looked that. For the children, though, I think I have their birthdays right.

Destiny - April 7th, 2002. Gryffindor.

Rose - February 1st, 2006 (this is actually my birthday, and the age gap is almost the same as the one between me and my sister). Gryffindor.

Fate - February 1st, 2006. Gryffindor.

Hugo - December 3rd, 2007 (in honor of my mother, for supporting me in all my obsessions). Gryffindor.

Those were the Weasleys :) I suppose I've ruined any surprises, but you'll be seeing them soon in the sequel anyways!

Also, I will not be writing an epilogue, only because there IS a sequel and you'll find out what happens then. I won't be focusing on Draco and Hermione or any of the adults as much - it's mostly Rose and Scorpius and just the second generation - but they'll have their moments.

See that little blue button? Click it ;D


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven: The End

January 18th, 2012

A/N: This is the end, guys. Thank you for going along for the ride (: It's not over, not really. There'll be a sequel about the children. I considered adding another chapter, but it seemed right to end it on 27, seven being a magical number and all. And, you know, it might have been that way because I used up all of my material in this last one.

Thanks to Cat for sticking with me until the very end! :')

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter Twenty Seven

_Nine months and some odd days later_

Hermione was bored. Draco was at work, while she sat at home doing nothing, without anyone to keep her company aside from Crookshanks, and she certainly couldn't have a conversation with a cat. Maybe if she transformed…no. That was a crazy idea. Idleness was bound to be the death of her if she started thinking like that.

For a brief moment, Hermione wondered how morphing would affect the baby. Would her pregnancy show if she was in her Animagus form? She got to her feet with difficulty and waddled over to the bookcase in the sitting room.

Before Hermione reached it, her water broke. Instead of panicking – this was hardly as terrifying as being chased by Death Eaters – she calmly walked to the fireplace and flooed to St. Mungo's, sending her Patronus to tell the others what was happening as she did so.

Draco was with a patient, but he doubted he'd remain with her for very long. He continuously snapped at the woman, reminding her that he was married and had a child on the way, and that she had better shut up unless she wanted to keep those bloody antlers.

"Healer Malfoy!" Cassie gasped, bursting into the room. "I hate to interrupt you, but it's Hermione."

"What's wrong with her?" Draco asked, quickly making his patient's antlers disappear. "You can leave now." When the witch lingered, he repeated, "And I do mean _now_."

As the woman left, Cassie said, "She's here – her water broke, the baby's coming. She wants you in there, and the only reason Mr. Potter agreed to stay out in the hall was because he knew you'd be allowed in."

"Sweet Merlin," Draco muttered, running from the room.

Healer Lawson looked up as Draco flung the door open. "Healer Malfoy, good, your wife was threatening to disembowel me if I didn't get you in here as soon as possible."

"That sounds like her," Draco said, focusing on Hermione. Her eyes were glazed over but she recognized her husband.

"You! You were the one who got me pregnant!" she shouted, even as she took hold of Draco's hand in what could only be called a death grip. "We are never having sex ever again! Do you hear me Draco Malfoy?"

Draco stared at Hermione. "She doesn't mean that, does she?" was all that he could say.

Healer Lawson smiled despite himself. "Women often say things they don't mean while experiencing the pains of child birth. I wouldn't worry about it, if I were you. She's almost ready to start pushing. You don't have to do anything but let her hold your hand."

Draco found himself wishing that he was given an actual task to perform, because Hermione was strong for her small size, and he was quite sure she had broken some bones in his hand. By the time the baby was born, he had yelled back at Hermione plenty of times, but had stopped when he saw tears in her eyes.

"Hermione…?" Draco said tentatively.

He was shushed immediately as Healer Lawson placed their newborn in Hermione's arms.

"It's a boy," Hermione whispered, resting her head against Draco's chest. "Do you still want to name him after my uncle?" Hermione's uncle had died in the summer of her fourth year at Hogwarts. She had been devastated when she found out, but she never mentioned Jonathan Granger to Harry or Ron. She had been the daughter he didn't get the chance to have. Jonathan showered Hermione with books when she was young, and was prouder than even her parents when they discovered that she was a witch. Hermione had wanted to honor the man who supported her through everything, and Draco was fine with whatever decision she made, so long as she made the decision without him influencing it.

"So long as part of his name is a constellation, because that seems to be a tradition in my family."

Hermione worried her bottom lip and smoothed down the wispy brown hair covering her baby boy's head. "Jonathan Regulus Malfoy," she said at last. "Harry hasn't taken that name yet."

Draco laughed and kissed Hermione's head. "Jonathan Regulus Malfoy it is."

Family and friends were allowed to visit after Jonathan and Hermione had both taken a nap and eaten. A nurse showed Hermione how to feed her child, and as Hermione was a fast learner, it didn't take very long until she was able to do it on her own. However, she wanted to be left in peace with her baby and husband, so she pretended to have trouble for a while.

"Blaise is dying to see his godson," Draco said, running his fingers through Hermione's curls. "Gina is getting impatient as well, and she's pulled out her wand on me already."

Hermione sighed and kissed Jonathan – she had decided to call him Jace unless he did something bad as a child – on the nose. Draco took the resigned way she straightened up in the bed as her permission to let the others in.

"Keep quiet or I'll throw you out of the room myself," Draco said calmly. Blaise rolled his eyes and brushed past him.

"Hey Granger, let me see my godson," Blaise said, straight to the point as usual. Gina pinched his arm and smiled when her fiancé winced.

"How are you doing sweetie?" Gina asked, sitting down by Hermione's bed. "Zane's dying to see you again. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him I was leaving to visit you and the baby."

"Aw, my little sweetheart. I'll probably miss him the most while I'm gone on maternal leave," Hermione said, watching as Harry carefully took Jonathan from Ginny.

"Excuse me!" Gina exclaimed, lowering her voice at the very last second. Harry stared at her in horror, praying that her loud volume wouldn't wake Jonathan. Gina was hushed by five different people.

"Blaise, would you mind bringing Zane by whenever you visit?"

"I doubt my sister will be too pleased with me, but sure, Granger, whatever you want."

"Alright, Potter, give me my daughter back. You've been holding her for far longer than anyone else. Just because you're the Chosen One and everything doesn't mean I'm not going to treat you like the prat you can be," Draco said.

"Tell me why you married him again?" Harry said to Hermione, who only chuckled.

* * *

><p><em>One year later<em>

"We didn't take anything! Please!"

Draco wrapped his arms around a whimpering Hermione and made soothing sounds that didn't make sense, even to him. Hermione finally came to her senses and lay shivering with her face buried in her husband's neck.

"What was the nightmare about?" Draco asked quietly.

"Bellatrix," Hermione whispered, trying to calm her breathing.

Then more than ever, Draco wished he had been the one to do Bellatrix in for good. Jonathan began to cry, and Hermione went to attend to him, abandoning her own burdens.

The doorbell rang, thoroughly alarming Draco, as it was three in the morning. He went to see who it was. Hermione followed, Jonathan silent save for the occasional and unintelligible noise. Draco knew Hermione would obstinately stay in place regardless of what he said, so he said nothing and opened the door.

"Father?"

"I had to warn you," Lucius said gravely. He spared Hermione a glance. "And, so it seems, Miss Granger as well."

"Warn us about what?" Draco asked, effectively taking the attention away from his wife and child.

Lucius regarded his son, whom he had not seen for five years, cautiously. This was not the moldable boy he remembered. This was a completely different man. "Dolores Umbridge has returned," Lucius said at last. "She plans to rid the wizard world of all half-breeds, of any kind, through the Ministry and by any means necessary."

Hermione unconsciously drew Jonathan a little close to her chest.

"When did you get released from Azkaban? The Daily Prophet certainly didn't mention it yesterday morning."

"I was released one hour ago."

Draco's eyes widened and reverted back to their original state immediately. _They release prisoners at two in the morning? _"Does Mother know yet?"

"No. I had to warn you first. I am returning home now. Goodnight Draco, Miss Granger."

"Bloody hell," Draco said when Lucius was gone. Hermione didn't even chastise him about an infant being present.

* * *

><p>At one o' clock that afternoon, Jean Granger decided to visit her daughter and grandchild. She was quite confident her son-in-law would be at work, and preferred it that way. She still didn't trust Draco with Hermione. If he could be so cruel to her before, he could revert to that kind of treatment, and Jean was trying to make up for lost time by protecting Hermione as much as possible.<p>

Steeling her nerves, she knocked on the door and waited for it to open.

"Mum?" Jonathan tightened his arms around Hermione's neck and stared at the woman he rarely ever saw.

"Hello, sweetheart. I thought I'd come by and visit you and Jonathan here," Jean said, her smile forced as she realized that her own grandson didn't recognize her. "I brought your favorite pie over."

For a moment, it seemed as if Hermione would make up some feeble excuse to get her mother to leave, but she didn't. It was an uphill battle, but she was making an effort to forgive her parents, who had taken so long to forgive her. "Alright, sure, come in. Jace won't be too friendly for a while. He just woke up from his nap."

"That's fine," Jean said, stepping into the house.

"You can put your coat in that closet." Hermione pointed to the one she meant. "Normally I would do it for you, but…" She smiled apologetically. "Do you want some tea? I can set him down for a minute or two before he gets fussy. He prefers to be high up, so Draco thinks he's going to be a brilliant Quidditch player. I'm not so sure because he's my son too, but his dad is hoping to buy him a broomstick for his fifth birthday."

"Jonathan is magical, then? And yes, tea would be lovely."

Hermione chewed on the inside of her cheek as she set a kettle to boil. "He's showing some signs, mostly with toys. He likes changing things colors and has amused me countless times by making Draco's ties float out of his reach while he's getting ready for work." She poured a cup of tea for Jean and herself and waited to hear the real reason why her mother was there.

"I wanted to tell you again how sorry I am for putting you through so much pain for so many years," Jean said into her mug. "It was unreasonable for me to be upset when you only modified our memories to keep us safe."

_I should have known_, Hermione thought grimly. She handed Jonathan his stuffed dog, courtesy of Harry, and contemplated what she ought to say to her mum.

"Your father is terribly sorry as well," Jean added. "It's been busy lately, you know, at the office; otherwise he would have come too."

"You know very well that I can't stay mad at anyone for too long, and I do want Jace's grandparents to be a part of his life. I appreciate you reaching out, Mum, and I'm sorry for not letting you know what I was planning to do before I sent you off to Australia."

Jean chuckled. "We forgave you the minute we got our memories back, my dear," she said softly, tickling Jonathan's stomach. "You might not believe it, but we did."

Hermione kept her skepticisms to herself and nodded. "You might want to stop tickling him. He doesn't like it too much." As if on cue, Jonathan started crying, and Hermione rocked him back and forth until his sobs ceased to exist.

Jean couldn't help but think that if Hermione invited her over more, she would have known that Jonathan did not like to be tickled. She finished her tea with a new resolve to spend more time mending the bond she once had with her daughter. They spent the afternoon exchanging small talk about the weather, their husbands, Jonathan and Harry. When they couldn't talk about those things any more, Hermione admitted that she missed her mother and hated that when she had questions about taking care of her son she had to find Molly, who she wasn't even related to, instead. She loved Molly, she did, but she also wished that she could ask her own mum for help when she needed it.

When Jean left, both women were feeling better, as they had finally come out in the open with what was truly bothering them. Hermione never was as close to her father as she had been prior to the war, but the same could not be said about her and her mother.

* * *

><p><em>A year after that<em>

"Why do you keep getting pregnant?" Draco groaned, burying his face in Hermione's hair.

"Are you bothered by the prospect of having yet another child?"

"Of course not; I'm merely curious."

"Well, then I suppose it's because we have sex like rabbits, or mice, or even hamsters."

"I resent being compared to a rodent of any kind."

"You can't really be surprised though, darling," Hermione said.

Draco sighed. "Yes, well, I can't. I just wish we could have had more time getting used to taking care of one child before we had two with another on the way."

"We?" Hermione echoed. "I don't believe you're the one the baby will live inside of for nine months. We have time to adjust."

"That's right; I was the one being told that we would 'never have sex, ever again'. Look where we are now."

Hermione laughed and kissed Draco's shoulder, which was the highest part on him she could comfortably reach. "Goodnight love."

"Goodnight princess."

Before either had the chance to fall asleep, however, Lila Jean Malfoy started to wail rather loudly. Hermione smiled wanly and got up to tirelessly attend to her daughter. Draco, though content where he was, followed his wife's example.

"Now is not the best time to raise Jace and a baby girl," Hermione whispered, cradling Lila in her arms.

"I know, love, but they'll be our reason to fight," Draco said, as if that made Umbridge's impending threats seem less horrific.

"I don't want them to grow up fearing for their lives, or their friends' lives, the way we did."

"I won't let that happen," Draco said firmly, his jaw set.

"Well if you won't let it happen then it certainly will not," Hermione joked weakly.

"Of course it won't."

"You are impossible," Hermione quietly informed her husband.

"Impossibly hard not to adore, just like our children, or at least little Lila. Jace is getting too verbal for my liking."

"Where do you think he learns all of those bad words from? I'm telling you, it was a mistake to name Blaise his godfather. But I suppose if all else fails we can still agree that you and the children are hard not to adore," Hermione said. She smiled and kissed Lila on the forehead and Draco on the mouth. "We'll get through this."

"I never said we wouldn't."

_The End_

* * *

><p>AN: So that's it, guys. No more Expertise in Pyrotechnics :') Keep me on author alert, though, because I'll be starting a sequel soon. Thank you for all of the support and encouragement you've given me throughout the past months! I love this story to death, because I never thought it would make it this far. While I'm sad about its ending, I feel rather accomplished. This is the first story I've actually finished and I'm proud of it and how far it's gone. Anyway, yeah, stay tuned for the sequel, and I'll make sure to let you all know through Twitter. Remember, it is writersanon375!

See that little blue button? Click it to leave one last review :')


	28. Author's Note

Sorry all, this is not another chapter, just an author's note. I just wanted to let you guys know that the sequel is up under the title of What If?. It's mainly Scorpius and Rose, but there will be some bits of Hermione and Draco, and the other characters as well. There'll be more Gina, some Cassie, some Cat, etc.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." I'm going by that motto right now. So sad this story is over, but it makes room for a whole new one. Opportunities, people, opportunities!

I also want to thank you all for being absolutely wonderful in each and every way. I love you all lots! (: This entire story and the next one are dedicated to each and every one of you.

Mischief Managed,

Lauren


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